Sea of Tulips
by Aeria Swordlancer
Summary: A life that gives her unanswered questions. A life that gives her, another life. It's still a tough choice to make between what she is forced to have and what has always been hers. Jerza AU.
1. Chasms

**Why am I writing a new story when I've others to complete? Because I want to. And this idea refuses to leave me the hell alone.**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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**SEA OF TULIPS**

**by Aeria Swordlancer**

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**-****CHAPTER ONE****-**

**Chasms**

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_10.46 _

Erza Scarlet sighed as she looked up at the humungous station clock that was perched atop a massive tower to the left of the platforms. Wiping a droplet of sweat that had trickled down her neck, she fanned herself fervently and took a long sip from the bottle of cold water in her hands. It was precisely forty degrees Celsius in Era with an alarming level of humidity in the atmosphere - enough to make you melt if you are much of an AC hog, that is. The back of her light cotton dress was damp and stuck to her skin, and her hair felt like she hadn't washed it in days, even months in fact. Furrowing her brows, she turned to look at the clock again, then to her wristwatch to confirm the time, which to her chagrin, didn't seem to be moving any faster.

_10.48_

She clicked her tongue impatiently and tried reading the Cosmo that she'd opened up on her lap. She read a line or two, trying to generate a fair amount of interest in a summer collection that a woman ought to have in her wardrobe. The flashy pictures of various dress and shoe combinations across the middle-spread did capture her attention for a second or two, but her patience seemed to be wearing thin with every passing second. When her perspiration refused to show any signs of retrieval, she dabbed furiously at her skin with her hanky and shut the magazine a rather too forcefully, stuffing it into her handbag with a rough push. She stole a second and final gulp from the bottle in her hands.

_10.51_

Despite being the daughter of a wealthy businessman and industrialist, Erza Scarlet had prided herself on not being the snotty, snobbish brat that she ought to have been. Living a life where she practically had everything that she could have asked for at her beck and call, she'd always been the one for simplicity. Unfortunately, when the temperature shows absolutely no signs of letting you off, and when you perspire like you have a goddamn city to inundate, not much of your simplicity clings onto you. The facade comes off like a peel with the sweat, making you confront your true, brutish nature. For Erza, there wasn't a thing she wanted to do as much as beating the shit out of the first passenger that crossed her path, effectively blocking the large fan that provided her with some semblance of relief in the harsh weather.

Sighing, she looked up at the clock for the umpteenth time in the last quarter of an hour.

_10.55_

Precisely twenty minutes before Magnolia Express pulled up into the platform and provided her with the much needed breather. She cursed her hormones and innate psychological make-up for her inability to take flights. She'd never been the one for air-travel. The very thought of it would make her stomach turn and her limbs jitter. It was like her only weak point - her Achilles' Heels - the one that she had effectively managed to hide through most of her life, revealing it to only those who were close enough to be let in on her secret.

Then, there was a second reason why air travel was completely out of question for the moment; a reason that was much brighter than her sordid psychological fears. A smile tugged at Erza's lips as she thought about the little nutter inside her, playing with her enzymes and neurons and god knows what all, making her feel even more hormonal and bitchy than she'd collectively felt in her life. She sighed and looked down at her swollen belly, caressing it with her free hand, as if giving her little one an assurance.

"Your mamma's feeling terrible right now, little one. I wish the driver could make it a little faster," she whispered, and a second later, she was rewarded with a tiny kick in response. Erza giggled as she rubbed that particular spot on her belly, feeling nothing but delighted at having been answered to by her baby.

"You agree with mamma, don't you? It's a little too hot," she wiped her forehead with her hanky again. "Don't worry junior. Nine hours and you'll say hi to daddy," she smiled again as she felt a second kick on the right side of her belly.

If there was one thing that Erza Scarlet could agree to after six months of pregnancy, it was the fact that there had never been a phase in her life, as delighting, as refreshing as the one she was living right now. She'd heard many stories about how women felt when they were with little ones. How they experienced their bodies and lives when they were expecting. Many first-hand accounts and diary entries had been her companions in the first few months of this amazing journey, for she would often take them to bed and surf through them in the late hours of the night, finding solutions to all those little queries that she would almost always have. The internet had been another source; the great repository of information and experiences that had helped her through most of the difficult phases, coupled, of course, with those invaluable opinions and suggestions provided to her by that one woman she'd forever admired. If not for that lady's strong, assuring presence in her life, Erza Scarlet would have buckled under the strain of living an orphaned life with a million responsibilities upon her shoulders. For being the strong woman that she was often acknowledged as by many of her colleagues, Erza thanked her aunt from the bottom of her heart.

After the death of Erza's parents in a terrible car crash, Porlyusica Scarlet had been the one to hold onto the mantle of Scarlet Industries. With years of experience under the guidance of her elder brother to look back to, she'd been quick to learn the nitty-gritties of the market and had acquired a sharp, business acumen. Together with Rudolf Scarlet, she'd helped construct the massive empire that was the company, preventing it from crumbling to dust after the tragic death of its owner. Since that unfortunate accident twenty years ago, the lady had never looked back. She'd grabbed onto the remains of Mr. Scarlet's heritage, brought his daughter under her tutelage, and never once had she made the little girl feel the absence of her parents. For all the valuable lessons she had taught, and for everything else that she'd done for her niece's development and well-being, Erza Scarlet was forever indebted to her aunt.

The sharp vibration of her mobile phone shook Erza out of her reverie. Cursing under her breath- for the suddenness of the movement had made her jump, causing her already aching back to crick a little- she reached for the device in the back pocket of her handbag and flipped it open.

_Auntie seems to have a long life, _she chuckled, pressing the call button and putting the phone to her ear. She did not have the time to greet her, as her aunt's sharp voice came cutting through the receiving end, a slight rasp lacing her tone.

"_What do you think you're doing, young lady?" _she hissed, sounding furious. "_Do I need to remind you of your condition? For heaven's sake Erza. You're six months pregnant. You're not, under any circumstances, allowed to go on long journeys. I've sent a driver to pick you up and you're coming back home this instant."_

Erza sighed and put a strand of her red hair behind her ear. She had been expecting the reprimand.

"I'm sorry auntie, but I cannot come back," she said immediately, not hesitant in the least. If she'd decided to do something that she thought was beneficial for the lives of the three people involved, she was more than eager to stick to her guns. "I've some...work to do in Magnolia," she added with determination, eager to make her point cut across.

There was a short pause and all Erza could hear was her aunt's sharp intake of breath.

"_I take you don't understand the implications of your action, young lady. Do you realise how dangerous it is for you to be out on your own, taking a _train _to Magnolia? A train? A nine hour journey when you're due in another two months and a half? I will not accept this, Erza. Come back home this instance."_

Erza sighed again. Her aunt had never been the one to be easily pleased or persuaded. With her decision made at the last moment, and Porlyusica Scarlet out on an important business trip, Erza had decided to do things the traditional way. Determined to make the required journey to Magnolia, Erza had left a long, elaborate note for her aunt before packing her bags and leaving for the station. She'd hoped her aunt would understand and refrain from trying to stop her from doing what she thought was necessary. She'd counted on her excellent writing skills to have conveyed the message properly, yet, her aunt being the strict guardian that she was, refused to be swayed by a mere letter. She would not calm down until a proper explanation was given to her through spoken words. She deserved nothing less after all that she'd done for the well being of her niece.

"Auntie, I want you to understand," began Erza, her tone gentle yet unwavering. "I _need _to do this. This isn't just about me and my life. My baby's involved as well. I…I need to talk to him and understand him better."

"_He's your childhood friend and the father of your child, Erza. What is there for you to understand? You've loved him since you were waddling around in diapers with him."_

Erza took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. The questions that had been lingering around in the back of her mind came to the forefront, threatening to burst out in a torrent. Erza, however, held onto them with all the strength that she could muster, deciding it wasn't the time to indulge her aunt in one of those philosophical engagements that she'd grown tired of. It would only make her feel like her niece didn't have faith in her anymore.

"You understand my situation more than I do, auntie. I'll be married to him in a few months and I don't even…I don't even," she broke off, thinking about the past five months of her life. Five months that had flown by like a swift breeze, quicker than her ability to hold onto them for a moment of silent comprehension. Her heart had ached and her mind had struggled, but time never has, and it never will stop for anyone.

For Erza, some of the most beautiful moments of her life were also moments that she would repetitively fail to comprehend and congregate.

"Auntie. I promise I'll take care of myself. I've spoken to my doctor and she says it'll be alright. Besides, I need to move around more. I've been stuck to my bed for the past five months. That's why I decided to take a train to Magnolia. Planes and cars make me sick if I have to sit in them for too long. Also, a change in atmosphere will do good for the baby," she stroked her belly absentmindedly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill out. "I _need _to do this." She added for good measure.

There was another pause, longer than the one taken before. Her aunt seemed to be weighing her options in her mind.

"_I promised your father," _she said then, her voice, a notch calmer. "_I promised him I'll take good care of you. I promised I won't ever let anything happen to you," _a certain amount of gentleness had crept into her otherwise unyielding tone, the emotions that she usually kept sealed in, floating to the surface. _"Will you be OK, Erza? I think I should send some maids to accompany you."_

Erza smiled a little. No matter the austerity of her tone and mannerisms, Porlyusica Scarlet was a darling at heart - her rigid stance melting in the face of her only relative's needs and desires. Despite laying down the rules for a regulated life and making sure Erza followed them diligently through her growing years, Porlyusica had never shied away from giving her niece everything that she had ever asked for. Even for the desires and wishes that could be considered a little rebellious for a person of Erza's reputation and stature, her assent had always been delayed, hard-fought, yet, subsequently delivered.

"I'll be fine auntie. I need to do this on my own. Trust me when I say I'll look after myself," Erza chuckled. In her heart, Erza knew she had it in her to deal with every little problem that came her away. It was that one thing about herself that she had complete faith in; the ability to sail through turbulent waters and come out of it alive and unscathed, in return, learning a few lessons that would prevent her from running into the same problems again. This trait had helped her live through some of the most tempestuous phases in her life and she couldn't see how it wouldn't give her a chance again - now, when she really needed to gather that confidence to face some of the most difficult questions that she'd been holding in, all in the hope of finding the right answers someday.

"_Alright fine," A_unt Porlyusica gave in, letting out a burst of breath over the receiver. Her voice had definitely softened, but she managed to retain a fair amount of sternness to it, indicating her lingering disapproval. She might have given the nod, but there was no way an aunt could sit back and relax when her six months pregnant niece was hell-bent on taking a nine hour train journey to a distant city. "_Promise me you won't do anything stupid, young lady. AVOID having any junk food in the Central Square and take your medicines on time. Keep consulting your doctor over the phone and make the best of your time with your fiancée."_

"I swear I'm not doing anything stupid," Erza promised in all sincerity. "And, I'll be happy…with him." For some strange reason, Erza felt like the second part of her assurance was meant not for her aunt, but for herself. She'd technically whispered it into the phone, her heart pounding and full of anticipation - keen to move towards a future where, hopefully, life wasn't going to be as hard as it had been on her for the past few months. It was all that she could do; sit with her fingers crossed, hoping things would go in a specific direction and play out in a particular manner - all because for a situation like the one she was in, there was no second way out.

"_It's good to see you taking an initiative, Erza. Now that you've decided to look into the matter yourself, I'm pretty sure you'll work everything out."_

Erza smiled at her aunt's attempt at encouragement. Being the hard one to melt, it had always been a little difficult to steal tender moments such as these. Often, Porlyusica Scarlet would have her own unique way of boosting her niece's morale; a method that was a little detached, yet completely effective. It had worked wonders through the years, shaping the young Scarlet heir into the woman that she had become- strong, independent and headstrong. Yet, for a life that had given her nothing but unanswered questions for the past few months, a little tenderness had become a necessity to pacify her niece's quest for a better understanding of the mess that was her life.

"I'll make it work, auntie. I'll make it work." Erza said with resolve in her heart, her fingers grasping the hem of her dress, working to make it flatter than it already was. _I have to make it work._

There was a murmur of approval on the other end. Aunt Porlyusica hadn't been prouder of her niece.

Once the line went dead, Erza let out a burst of breath and wiped her forehead again. Her confidence was still there, intact, bubbling on the surface, but circumstances have this annoying tendency to put a damper on your plans. If only Erza had known the truth that she longed to grasp; the knowledge that she could only ever hope to acquire. It was like a hazy, faraway thing- a disembodied whisper that fought to tell her what she deserved to know, yet remained there in the distance, away from reach and comprehension. If only she could stretch out her hands and get hold of that memory that was so was bent on evading her…

Erza shook her head and attempted to collect her thoughts. Whenever she fooled herself into believing that there was a fragment out there, a fact or some information that she wasn't privy to, she would feel like she was screaming betrayal at her aunt, questioning her better judgement and intentions. Never once had her aunt thought about anything but the betterment of her niece; every decision, every step that she'd taken so far- right down to the pledge of never marrying and having kids of her own- were testimony to her love and dedication for the family. The only thing that Erza could give in return for the lady's years of devotion and sacrifice was the promise that she would go ahead and do the most logical thing that there was to do; marry the father of her child.

If only she could find the answers to those hundred something questions that raided her peace and almost always threatened to overturn years of some carefully constructed beliefs.

If only.

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Porlyusica Scarlet was a woman of firm beliefs.

A woman who had always been true to her words.

A woman who had dedicated her life to fulfil a promise made to her dear brother on his deathbed. The brother who'd made her what she was today, letting her in on the education that had been meant for him and him alone. Being the only daughter in a fairly well-settled family, her father had never cultivated any high hopes for her future. The trajectory had been set the day she'd been born; her grooming and upbringing, an effort to mould her into a well-mannered young woman, suitable enough to be wedded into a respectable family and to a respectable young man of letters. Unfortunate as it had been for some years in her life, young Porlyusica Scarlet had acquired a keen interest in the art of business and marketing. If only her parents had been a bit more liberal for the sake of her daughter's dreams. The day her father had come to know about her love for books and all such fashionable items not meant for the female population, he'd grabbed her by her tiny wrist and forced her to walk down the aisle with a man he thought was suitable for her. However, life has its own ways of stabbing you in the back and saying that things will not always go according to plan.

Tearing away at her gown and casting aside the bouquet of flowers that she had reluctantly held onto, Porlyusica Scarlet had dashed out of the church, only to run into the arms of an elder brother who had always had an opinion, quite antagonistic to their father's. He'd seen enough and he'd had enough. Since that day, the young woman had never looked back, working alongside her brother towards a dream that had been a product of their shared beliefs and ideals, honing her skills in the process to transform into the strong businesswoman that she was today. At age 58, Porlyusica Scarlet was a business mogul, the strongest and most powerful in the country of Fiore, giving her male counterparts a run for their money. Even if her own willpower and determination were factors major enough to account for her massive success in an area that had once been completely shut off to her, the timely intervention of Rudolf Scarlet and his dreams for a better future for his sister were elements that could not be discounted off.

Taking a light sip from the cup of black tea in her hands, Porlyusica leaned back on her armchair and observed the massive photograph that was framed on a wall in her study. It was a photograph from eight years ago; a young, 16 year old Erza with a giant trophy in her hands, celebrating her victory in a competition that determines the best all-round student in the country of Fiore on an annual basis. It was that one occasion where Porlyusica Scarlet had allowed herself the liberty to let a tear roll down her cheek for the first time in many years. It had been a moment she'd been waiting for for so long; her efforts, her hard-work and sacrifices- everything had seemed pale in comparison to the joy and sense of fulfillment she had felt while seeing her little niece pick up that giant trophy, waving it jubilantly in the air. It had been the first step towards the fulfillment of a lifelong promise.

Sitting in her armchair, sipping her preferred beverage, Porlyusica Scarlet could see the long stretch of road that had been her niece's journey. Perfect and well-tailored in the beginning, tapering towards the middle and going smoothly for the rest of its way.

It was the little distraction in the middle that irked her even today.

_If only she had never…_

Her nose crinkled in displeasure and her brows furrowed. The very thought of that rough, unplanned phase in her niece's life would make her feel furious down to the bones. It had all been a glaring distraction; a big thorn in her path that had threatened to soil her dreams and ambitions. With one mighty sway, the disruption had swept Erza off her feet, making her turn away from a path that had promised her nothing but happiness. Under that diseased influence, Erza had made some of the worst mistakes of her life; mistakes that Porlyusica was convinced needed to be brushed under the carpet.

Taking a deep breath and reaching for a folder on her study table, Porlyusica extracted an album-sized photo that she'd had found in the depths of their unused storeroom. Looking at that one evidence of the said mistake made her blood boil and her hands quiver in rage. Taking another deep breath to compose herself, she held the photograph before her eyes and slowly, bit by bit, shred it to pieces.

_If it's for the sake of my promise and my niece's well being, I'll take the burden of this sin upon my shoulders down to my grave._

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Erza Scarlet heaved a sigh of relief.

The announcement that rang through the station played a perfect symphony with the rumble of the tracks as the god-sent Magnolia Express came rolling down platform no. 1, its twelve long compartments giving Erza a reason to smile. It had been long since she'd travelled in a train and she'd almost forgotten about the charm of it as well. Rolling her light luggage over the granite floors, Erza made her way (waddled) towards her designated compartment, attempting to avoid as much attention as possible. She was a Scarlet after all.

Putting on her shades and scarf, she thanked heavens for the hurry that people seemed to be in, as their preoccupation with their own businesses worked to her own advantage, making it possible for her to manoeuvre smartly through the throng towards the compartment in the end. Checking her ticket for one last time, she spotted her seat and began to haul her luggage into the train.

"Here, let me help you with this," a voice called out to her, grabbing the handle of her little trolley and pushing it up into the compartment. Erza whipped around to look at the considerate man, her phone going off loudly at precisely the same moment.

_Shit, _she mumbled, alarmed again by the damn vibration. She fished into her handbag's back pocket and extracted the blasting device.

The name on the screen made her forget about everything else for a second.

The reason she was going to Magnolia in the first place.

With a little smile appearing on her lips, she punched the green button and answered the call.

"I'll call you back in a moment Simon. I…am in the middle of doing some work for auntie." Erza bit her lip, hopeful that her lie had sounded convincing enough. After all, she was in no mood to spoil the surprise she'd carefully planned out for the father of her child. There was a murmur of approval on the other end of the line as the man who had helped board her luggage, held out a hand for her.

"Ma'am?" he asked, his face concealed by the light of the sun. The only part visible to Erza was a head of bright blue.

Disconnecting the line and stuffing her phone into her bag, Erza gave out her hand to the stranger and carefully scaled the raised platform. Her back hurt a little, but she bit her lips and ran a quick hand through her belly, as if apologising to her kid for the slight inconvenience. Adjusting the handbag on her shoulders, Erza attempted to take the handle back from the man, only to be rewarded with a gentle smile. The man was offering to carry her bag all the way to her seat.

Erza turned to look at the stranger to get a clear glimpse of his features. His gentle features. Bright green eyes, blue hair and a beautiful marking across his right eye. If it hadn't been for the fact that she was engaged to a man with a six months old embryo developing inside her belly, she might have had the courage to say a thing or two to him. You know, flirting as it is called? She bit her lip as the man looked at her curiously from underneath the blue bangs that framed his forehead.

"Seat number?" he asked, his tone serene and tender.

"32," Erza mumbled, suddenly feeling like her handbag had put on a pound or two.

The man nodded and carried her luggage through a long line of seats, looking for numbers as he went.

Erza smiled to herself. Perhaps, this journey wasn't going to be as troublesome as she had thought it would be. A little kindness and humanitarian concern in the morning could make you feel a little better about your day ahead.

"Thank you, Mr.?" she said, eyeing the man with curiosity as he placed her bag in the overhead compartment. He hesitated for a second, his back still turned on her, before turning around with a smile on his face.

"Fernandez. Jellal Fernandez."

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**(A/N): Please don't kill me. Please.**

**I have to say I'm really excited about this story. The idea just...strolled into my head while I was working on an assignment (which just goes to show what an incredible attention span I've when it comes to studies) and now, I'm CONSUMED by it. Yes. Stories can devour you, friends.**

**If you're eager to know what happens next, you've a better idea about the step that needs to be taken. So, scroll down to the bottom and write something in that big box down there, 'kay?**


	2. Affinity

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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**-CHAPTER TWO-**

**Affinity**

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There were many things that Erza Scarlet liked about train journeys; the beautiful scenery that would often unfurl outside the window, the light novel that she'd always have open on her lap, lips kissing a delicious cup of coffee - a much better option over the sickening airline food that would make her stomach turn in a matter of seconds.

In fact, if she'd ever been the kind to pen down thoughts in a diary well-kept, she'd have probably written an essay on the subject matter by now, adding details that could have bamboozled a lesser literature enthusiast. She could have, for the record, composed a poem or two as well; depending on inspiration, a burst of passion, and her often underestimated sense of artistic perfection.

Unfortunately, her life had never really been that generous with such liberties - or luxuries, rather - so it was always more beneficial for her to live precious moments when they occurred, imprinting them in her mind for the sole purpose of falling back on them when life gave her a reason to do the same.

Funnily, life _had _been a little too liberal in granting her such reasons over the past few months. Months, that couldn't be defined as anything less than an unsettling wave of many a tumultuous emotions and situations.

Sighing, Erza Scarlet turned around to look at the strangely empty compartment and then at the only other occupant of the cabin. A small smile made it to her lips as she registered the male in as little as a single glance, reading into his eyes and features enough to note that he was a man worth associating with. Delicacy was what defined at first glance, and Erza Scarlet had been, for as long as she could remember, an excellent judge of character.

Yes.

For as long as she could remember.

Remembrance.

Some words, with their lose associations and connotations, have this dangerous ability to turn you into a nervous wreck, no matter how innocent they seem at face value.

Grabbing her belly in an almost desperate fashion, Erza Scarlet doubled over, her smile instantly wiped off her face, replaced by a terrible coughing fit that sent a spurt of pain shooting up her spine. Her face contorted in immense pain, her left hand grasping the edge of the seat hard enough to tear the soft leather apart.

Jellal Fernandez sprang to action in a noteworthy display of reflexes.

Pulling a bottle of water out of his rucksack placed above, he almost tore off the cap, offering the bottle with one hand while rubbing Erza's back with the other.

"Are you OK?" he asked, concern creasing his forehead as Erza accepted the bottle with shaking hands. He helped her steady her grip around the plastic container as she gulped down almost half of its content. His left hand was busy stroking her back in a soothing manner.

"I'm fine," Erza whispered, taking her time to catch her breath and collect her senses. The pain was still present - crouching almost - ready to make an appearance the moment it deemed fit. She could see it lingering around, the persistent tease that it was, seeming two seconds away from launching its usual tirade against her.

"Do you carry any medicines with you? Any emergency kit to help you through with this?" the man named Jellal pressed again, something akin to panic now lacing his smooth tone, inches away from Erza's ears. "Tell me if there is anything I can do."

Erza took another sip and shook her head. Turning around to look at the man, the smile that was about to make it to her lips as a sign of assurance, disappeared the moment she realised how close she was to the amicable stranger.

Inches away, with his breath tickling the smooth descent of her now well exposed neck. The scarf that she'd used to conceal herself from the crowd had come undone in the fit.

The man seemed to have noticed her discomfort caused by their position as he quickly traced a step back, his hand still lingering around the small of her back, ready to go on with its ministrations if things went out of hand again.

"Sorry," he mumbled, a little embarrassed. "Are you feeling any better?" he added, trying to assuage the tension that had sparked between the two as a result of their sudden proximity.

Erza clutched her scarf and tried to put it around herself again. The smile that had previously been lost in the middle, found its way back to her lips.

"I'm fine," she said then, pushing the bottle into the hands of its owner, her eyes reflecting pure gratitude. "Thanks for this."

The blue haired man turned to look at the half empty bottle and back at the lady. His eyes told Erza that he was completely unsure about her little assertion.

"It's a part of my pregnancy. Nothing too serious," she said immediately, trying to chuckle along, as if to help lighten the mood a little. Only her heart knew that she was nowhere near feeling as light as she tried to make the stranger believe. A fragment from the past had played inside her head a second ago, the damned word being the trigger to the process as usual. However, this was not the time to sit and think about the fragment that had made an unexpected appearance after a long time; a leap from the dark, as it usually came by.

Jellal Fernandez accepted the bottle and turned to wedge it into the space between his seat and the one next, still not taking his eyes off Erza, almost expecting her to succumb to the fit again. Even when he settled back in his seat, his stance made it seem like there was a coiled spring hidden somewhere underneath the leather surface, ready to release the moment the situation went awry.

"My name is Erza," Erza began, her shoddy attempt at changing the topic. She was about to finish the sentence by giving her family name, when she bit her lip and let it pass. Scarlet was not a common surname around, and she wished to make it to Magnolia in the absence of the high voltage dramas that often surrounded her on her visits abroad.

Jellal Fernandez looked a little disoriented for a second, perhaps, unable to keep up with the sudden change in mood, but he recovered quick enough and let a gentle smile tug at his lips.

"Ms Scarlet," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "Always the one for modesty."

Erza was taken aback for a second, an eyebrow raised in response to this sudden acknowledgement that made it seem like the man had known her for ages. She felt this uneasiness grip her all of sudden, as if her heart and senses were trying to point to an aspect of herself that she'd always failed to acknowledge.

"Daughter of the great Sir Rudolf Scarlet. No wonder your eyes seem as gentle and as magnanimous as his."

Erza almost let out an 'Oh' of realisation in response. While the name wasn't something that could be left unrecognised, her face and the unusual shade of her hair colour would always give her away. Plus, the fact that she'd made it to the cover of almost every business magazine in the past, couldn't have helped her out in a situation such as this.

Erza smiled sheepishly at the man.

"Ah well," she began, but she didn't need to proceed any further as Jellal gave her a look that suggested he really wasn't bothered by the presence of a celebrity as potent as her in an empty train compartment, heavily pregnant, off to someplace without a guard or maid around.

"You live here in Era, Mr Fernandez? If it's okay for me to call you that?" she asked instead, capitalising on the natural flow of their conversation.

"Jellal would be fine," the man said, smiling his gentle smile. "And I live in Magnolia. I came to Era for the annual art exhibition."

Erza cocked her brow. _The exhibition our company sponsors._

"You're an art enthusiast then," she said, nodding gently. "The exhibition certainly is a major attraction at this time of the year."

"Actually," Jellal intercepted, smiling rather coyly. "I participated in that exhibition."

"Oh." _An artist._

It was funny how Erza's life had practically been devoid of people from the creative side so far. All her life, she'd lived inside this cocoon that had been an inevitable construction of circumstances given to her on a platter, away from the life a normal university student would have lived. All she had known were the thick tomes on business and management, and a careful walk-through of her aunt's daily life in the office as a part of her personal training process. While her aunt had never been the kind to bar her from doing things that would have been considered a little deviant for her - pursuing a more humanities-related side course, for instance - Erza would have never thought it appropriate to give herself such an opportunity.

This was the only reason why her life had always resembled - perhaps, still resembled - a thick sandbox with a straight line in between; a division that separated her and the people of her kind from the ones who pursued more creative endeavours. This could explain why she felt so inexplicably excited at having encountered a person from the other side of the divide all of a sudden.

"You're an artist?" she asked, cringing at her own voice and how it sounded almost squeaky with exhilaration.

Jellal Fernandez smiled sweetly.

"You could call me one," he said, shrugging. "Although, I've got a long way to go."

"I'm sure you're good," Erza burst out without a thought. "I mean, you participated in one of world's finest art exhibitions. You ought to have been good."

Jellal chuckled good-humouredly.

"I'm still a student," he said. "Although, I must say it's an honour to have the well-deserved sponsor of this exhibition give me a compliment as such."

Erza was sure her cheeks had coloured a little.

"So…you're a regular participant at this exhibition?" she asked instead, another one of her hasty attempts at diverting attention from the redness of her face. The scarf was also tightened speedily in the process, making it look like a high collar around her neck.

"Not really," Jellal answered after a pause. "I'm more of a newcomer to such exhibitions. I usually work and display my art in a small studio owned by my mentor in Magnolia. He urged me to take part and I couldn't have said no to him."

_Soft-spoken man who respects his teachers. _

This simple thought affected Erza to a level she'd never thought it capable of effecting. Her high school self seemed to have come alive in the process, reminding her of a time when she used to fantasise about hitting it off with men of such kind. It was during her eleventh grade that Erza had started to cultivate a fair amount of interest in the opposite sex; before that little phase, she'd practically been a person living in some dark corner of life where social interaction seemed to have been more of a distant thought. Many of her friends would often tease her and urge her to look at the beauty of the various men in her class, but Erza had been adamant and refused to focus on anything else but her studies. However, since when have raging teenage hormones coincided with your moral alignments? While Erza had been busy immersing herself further into her books and exercise notebooks, she'd loftily created a _type _for herself; a category she thought would appeal to her the most in men. The features of this category had included such aspects like dignified personality, soft-spoken nature, respect for elders and teachers and a high regard for rules and moral obligations.

Now that Erza sat in a train compartment with a man who moulded well into almost every aspect of her secretly made category, she found it funny how her heart had immediately made such assumptions in the short period of time that she'd known this man. Just ten minutes ago, she'd been helped into the compartment by this genial person who'd aided her through her coughing fit, and here she was, admiring him for the way he simply looked at her with softness in his eyes.

Perhaps, some people simply have this aura around themselves that is a reflection of their amiable personality and nature, making others around them feel comfortable in their presence. Or, she might just be reacting in such a manner because her life had technically been devoid of men so far - barring her fiancé of course - and she found it refreshing to meet some good-natured ones amidst the usual presence of the jerks she was used to working with in her aunt's office.

Whatever be the case, Erza found it extremely stupid and immature of herself to give in to such childish fantasies when she was six months pregnant and on her way to giving, what she thought, was a romantic surprise to her fiancé.

"Are you OK Ms Erza?" Jellal's voice shook her up a little. She had spaced out as usual, driven as she had been into her little dream world where past preferences and ideals would become the most interesting thing to ponder upon; those preferences and ideals that held no value, no significance, in her current situation. These things and memories were nothing more than ghosts from a distant past for her now.

"Yes," she replied immediately, perking up a little. "I'm absolutely fine."

Jellal Fernandez nodded and turned to look outside the window.

For Erza, this was perhaps the first time that a person had actually managed to keep his head in the right place after seeing her up close and personal. Considering she came from a family that was well-known throughout the land as a family that had produced two of the greatest business tycoons ever, it was a little hard for her to believe that people could actually _not _behave like lunatics around her. It was time, Erza assumed, for her to move frequently out of the confined spaces of her existence now.

She remained silent for the hour that followed, trying to bring her attention back to the novel open on her lap. She read a paragraph or two - something about the main character walking down the memory lane and reminiscing happily - when she decided to shut the book and look out of the window instead. Such _sensitive _topics which included _remembering _stuff made her feel ill at ease, so she decided to distract herself a little by focusing on the line of some gorgeous deciduous trees that sprinted past outside the window. It was a mesmerising sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jellal's voice almost sounded like a whisper next to her. He too was observing the scenery outside with amazement written all over his face. This was probably the look an artist sported whenever he looked at an inspiration for his next piece.

And indeed, just as Erza had presumed, Jellal quickly reached for his rucksack and extracted a big drawing pad, a pack of charcoal and some sheets that looked like tissue paper.

"I can't just sit here and let it pass like that," he explained, as he sharpened a piece of charcoal and began making lines on his drawing pad. Erza looked on in amazement.

She did not even bother to hide the wonder that made her eyes look like two big saucers on her face.

So much for not sticking around with people from 'the other side' for practically half her life.

"Are you self-taught or did you attend an art school?" she asked, noticing how the man simply made his hands fly over the sheet of paper, making everything look like a child's play. She was amazed at how quickly and smoothly he made the lines and circles on the paper, his eyes darting to his right to look out of the window every half a minute or so, and then turning back to look at the pad on his lap with intense concentration. The focus in his eyes was remarkable, and the dedication with which he shaded away was inspirational.

"Both actually," he said, not taking his eyes off his work. "I began by drawing on scraps in school, and then my mentor happened to come across my work. He took me under his wing and decided to fund my education by sending me to an art school."

Erza nodded. "Interesting. No wonder you respect your teacher so much. If you don't find my question problematic, which art school did you attend?"

Jellal Fernandez immediately opened his mouth to give an answer, but something shifted in his eyes and he sew his lips the next instant. His hands stopped moving all of a sudden, halting an inch above the paper, the charcoal in his hands almost slipping out of his grip as his fingers shook slightly.

"I-" he began, turning to look out of the window again. Something seemed misplaced in his eyes - the passion that had been seeping from them just a second ago, dissolved into something unrecognisable. It seemed as if he was staring at something far away from what Erza could immediately see out of the window.

"I attended Magnolia University. It has a good arts faculty," he finally replied, his fingers still shaking almost inconspicuously.

Erza noticed the little change and frowned. She was sure a question as seemingly harmless as the one she'd asked, couldn't have elicited such a sudden and strong reaction in response.

"I've heard of it, yes," she replied instead, eyes still fixed on the charcoal that seemed to have been jammed into his fingers. "It's an excellent university."

Jellal remained frozen on his spot, making it seem like he'd just seen a ghost around. For a minute, the hand holding the charcoal was suspended an inch above the paper, and his eyes were still not facing Erza.

"It is, indeed, an excellent university," he said at length, trying to move his fingers again. He attempted to cover for his sudden change in behaviour by shading a little too furiously and looking a little too determinedly at his muse outside the window. But, he couldn't fool Erza who was able to notice this little cover-up quite easily. She was about to press the topic further out of curiosity when her mobile phone rang loudly, startling her for the third time in a day. She made a mental note of changing the shrill ringtone that she'd unthinkingly set.

It was Simon again.

"Hello," she immediately answered the phone, hoping to once again stall the conversation by giving him a lame excuse.

"_Hi. How are you doing? Are you feeling better today?"_

Erza smiled and ran a hand over her belly.

"Yes. I'm feeling better."

"_Good," _Simon's calm voice rang through the phone. He was definitely glad to hear that his fiancé was doing well.

"_I know you're working right now, but I called to inform you that I've been summoned to Harjeon for some important work. My work here in Magnolia isn't done, but something urgent came up and I'll have to leave tonight. I'll come back in a week, finish my work in Magnolia, and take the first flight back to Era once I'm done with it."_

Erza's heart sank. Her carefully chalked out plan had received a temporary, yet heavy setback.

"It's OK. I'll wait," she mumbled, disappointed. After a long time, Erza had built within her, the necessary enthusiasm for mending and cementing a relationship that she'd yet to fully understand. She'd made extensive plans; something that her severe lack of propensity to make romantic interventions in a relationship couldn't have permitted. With a few months more to go before her wedding, Erza had yet not managed to gather the time needed to understand her husband-to-be better.

The time needed to understand the father of her child better.

"_Look…I'm sorry Erza. I really am. I don't want to do this and you know it better than I do. I wish I could spend some more time with you, talk about things that engaged couples talk about, and just…and just be with you. But, this is important. This is important for the future of our child. I'll try to make it as quick as possible."_

Erza fiddled with the hem of her dress, a sad, knowing smile making it to her lips.

"I understand," she answered back, her voice calm and reassuring. "I understand this work is important. Trust me Simon, I've no complaints."

Opposite her, Jellal Fernandez shifted ever so slightly on his seat, but Erza failed to notice the little movement.

Simon sighed on the other end. "_Thank you," _he said.

"_Thank you so much for…just being in my life."_

The redhead flushed slightly for she was not used to such open declarations of love in the least. Seldom had she been with guys in the twenty five years of her existence, and this relationship here had also been a product of some strange set of complicated circumstances that she was trying hard to untangle. A huge chasm had been left somewhere along the way, making it impossible for her to feel comfortable whenever her groom-to-be tried being a little more romantic with her.

"I thank you too," she said then, knowing not how to respond to such a passionate declaration. She was also conscious of Mr Fernandez sitting right in front of her, even though he was being as tactful as possible by absorbing himself into the wonderful piece that he was busy making.

Simon lingered for a moment, and so did Erza. She'd the distinct feeling that he was trying to say something more. Perhaps, something more romantic to end their conversation on a mushy note. With just a few months left before their wedding, Erza could see that his attempts to settle things between them had become a little more pronounced.

"_Well then…" _he muttered, and while Erza couldn't see him, she was pretty sure he had coloured considerably. "_I'll see you soon…I…I…love you." _He almost whispered the last bit, perhaps, trying to make it inaudible to the people who were possibly in his proximity.

Erza's heart jumped up to her throat. While she'd been anticipating this little good bye note from her future husband, she still found it a little embarrassing to indulge herself in such blatant declarations of love.

She attempted to say something, trying not to look at the man who sat in front of her for that was particularly unsettling, but before she could frame a proper sentence and utter it through the receiver, Simon jumped in and let out a reassuring chuckle.

"_It's OK," _she heard him say, not failing to hear the slight note of disappointment in his tone. "_I understand. You don't have to force yourself. Take care, Erza." _With this, he cut the phone, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Erza to curse herself for being and feeling so _dippy _around him again.

For how long could she put up with her own infuriating ability to evade such sweet gestures thrown her way? For how long could she run away from a relationship that had become inevitable the day she'd conceived? For how long could she live in a world where she thought getting along with the father of one's own child was a task that required much effort and perseverance?

Surely, there was something majorly erroneous about her approach to life.

_Forgive me Simon. It'll take time, but I'll come around in the end…somehow._

She sighed as she lifted her mind from aimlessly shuffling the hem of her dress to a daunting task that now lay ahead. With Simon leaving the city tonight, Erza had no choice but to wait for an entire week in a city she'd never been to before. But, that wasn't even the beginning of Erza's problems. With her would be husband promising to be absent from the city for about a week, Erza had to convince her aunt to let her stay for that time period in a place where she had no one around to look after her. She was pretty sure her aunt would send in a battalion of maids and cooks the instant she'd get to know about Simon's departure from Magnolia, and Erza wasn't the kind that liked troubling the house keepers for something that she thought was unnecessary. While she was confident in her ability to look after herself in the week that would follow, Erza was in no position to argue with her aunt for such freedom. She knew beforehand what the lady's decision regarding her outrageous wishes would be.

But just as she was ready to give up and make plans for taking a U-turn and catching the next train back home, she perked up a little when she thought about the _other reason _for which she was going to Magnolia. A reason she'd almost forgotten about in her eagerness to better her situation with her fiancé.

Exhilarated at the prospect, Erza quickly sent an e-mail to her aunt regarding Simon's departure and her wish to spend some personal time in Magnolia. Explaining her desires in a more systematic manner - for her aunt was a no-nonsense person with a fondness for to the point answers - Erza came down to that one point she knew that would convince her aunt to let her stay peacefully in Magnolia.

_This would do, _Erza decided, sending the mail and hoping for a response in the affirmative. _Auntie can't say no._

If there was one link that she'd to the beautiful city of Magnolia - despite never having been to the place before - it was a friend that she hadn't met in a while. They had once been the best of friends, calling themselves 'soul sisters' to indicate the strong bond that they had shared since the day they had met as kids. They studied together in the same school, went for their martial arts classes together and - much to the terror of a hundred something delinquents in their school - broke bones of several boys who happened to cross the line, together. Collectively they had been called the '_She-demons' _of Era High; terrorising the minds of those who happened to fall in their bad books. Unfortunately, due to some drastic changes in the personal front, and other problems related to her ancestral home back in Magnolia, her best friend had to leave immediately for her home town, making it impossible for the two to band together. For many years, the two tried maintaining a link through various means of communication, but after a while, both got absorbed into their own little worlds and almost stopped communicating. However, despite the sudden dilution in the volume of communication between the two, Erza was sure their feelings towards each other hadn't changed one bit. She still thought of the woman as her best friend, having no doubts in her mind that her friend too, thought of her as the same.

Erza would finally be able to meet her childhood best friend, Mirajane Strauss, after a long while and get to spend some quality time with her before her marital life concerns caught up with her again.

There was nothing better than a week spent in leisure -as some sort of a coping mechanism - before pressing issues in life came back to the forefront.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jellal Fernandez, while shading passionately across the white sheet of paper on his lap, looked as discreetly as possible at the redhead who sat opposite him.

The smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes as she read a message on her phone, brought back in his heart, the warmth that he had been craving for in the past five months.

Five barren, listless months.

Five months that he wished he could have gauged out of his life to turn back to the phase he had been living for two years before the terrible occurrence.

Giving a final touch to the piece that he was working on, Jellal held it up before his eyes and then turned it around to show it to the beautiful lady. Erza Scarlet's eyes lit up as she looked at his work, holding it immediately in her hands to admire it from all angles.

"This is gorgeous," she said, sounding thoroughly impressed.

A genuine smile made it to his lips as he saw the woman appreciating his art.

"You can keep it," he said, putting the charcoal back into the little case in his bag. "Take it as a token of my appreciation for sponsoring such an excellent exhibition."

The lady looked flustered as she raised her head to meet his eyes.

Jellal was sure he would have buckled, had it not been for the determination that he had clung onto for the past five months.

Determination that had been hard to get his hands around, but determination that had been, and would continue to be, the only source of strength in the meaningless life that now stretched before his eyes.

A life that he would have to spend without _her._

"Are you sure about this?" the woman asked, her brown eyes boring deep into his olive green ones. "I mean…this could be a part of your portfolio or something. It's amazing."

Jellal averted his gaze from the female.

"Don't worry about that Ms Scarlet," he said, putting up with the façade of sounding all chilled in life. It was a product of months of training.

"I've plenty to keep in my portfolio. I made this one especially for you. Your company gives a big opportunity to artists like me every year. This is just a small token in response."

Erza Scarlet nodded as she accepted his work.

"Thank you for this," she said, holding the paper gingerly in her hands. "I'll frame this and put it up in my study for sure. Will give me a lot of inspiration for my work ahead."

Jellal chuckled within. _Inspiration for your work…funny how things have always been the other way around…_

"I'm honoured that you think of my work as such. _That _gives me a lot of inspiration."

Erza Scarlet beamed at him and demanded his attention again by looking straight into his eyes. This time, Jellal couldn't avoid them.

There was something about the warm colour of her irises that made it impossible for him to steal his gaze from her.

Mistake.

_Big_ mistake.

One look and he could see his determination crumbling before his eyes like a falling castle of cards.

Jellal Fernandez should have never let himself be deceived by the supposed strength of his will. He should have seen through his own façade and known that the strength that he had counted upon was nothing more than an excuse covering his weak heart. It had never been - as he'd assumed so far - a reflection of his innate tendency to brave through even the direst of problems that life threw at him. It had all been a sham.

Coughing a rather too loudly, he tried to excuse himself the classic way - a speedy trip to the washroom, that is. With a smile that never touched his eyes, he dashed away without another word, hoping that his sudden departure wouldn't arouse much suspicion in the lady.

After all, the façade that was his demeanour had peeled off in the three hours that he had spent with her. The bright smile with which he'd started this journey had now turned into a strained one, and judging by the way the lady had not failed to notice the little _inconsistencies _and oddities in his behaviour, Jellal wasn't sure for how long he could put up with his show.

But, in some forgotten section of his heart, Jellal knew there was no way he could retreat now. While he had no intentions of bringing about a drastic change, he wasn't going to let himself be driven by his feelings again.

Feelings that had been killed on that fateful day, five months ago.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Porlyusica Scarlet checked the last mail in her inbox and sighed. Taking off her spectacles after reading her niece's elaborate wish, she grunted something about parenthood being similar to walking through an ocean of fire.

Not only had Erza made plans for going to a city that was a danger zone for her, she'd decided to rub shoulders with an _old friend_ after a long time - a visit that seemed more like a threat over a happy reunion to Porlyusica Scarlet. One wrong move - a friend who could possibly open her mouth more than she should - and Erza's life would shatter in a matter of seconds, demolishing the phony, yet essential world that an aunt had constructed around her niece.

Dialling a number on her phone, Porlyusica Scarlet was patched through to the very female who could become a thorn in her side if not kept in place.

"She's coming to Magnolia. Not a word out of your mouth," she said sternly into the receiver once the line connected.

There was a short pause, followed by a forced murmur of approval from the other end. Porlyusica Scarlet smiled in satisfaction.

"One down," she whispered to herself as she cut the phone.

"Now…for that other _big problem _in Magnolia."

* * *

**(A/N): What is Jellal hiding? What is Erza hiding? What is Porlyusica hiding? AND, what is Mira _going to _hide from her best friend?  
**

**Oh man, I've fallen in love with this story. I think there's something special about the idea you come up with while studying. And if that idea happens to fall in place with the characters you love, you can't help but think about it all the friggin' time.  
**

**I'm glad you guys aren't mad at me for the little change I made to the regular 'Jerza sequence'. I love writing complicated sequences and circumstances 'coz I believe life works that way. Not every story can be a fairy tale. And, above all, not every story can be linear and straight forward. Complications are exciting.**

**Now, if you guys could be the amazing readers that you are and make my day brighter by posting the reviews that help fuel my imagination? ;P  
**


	3. Nostalgia

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THREE-**

**Nostalgia**

* * *

The rest of the journey went quite smoothly. While Era usually becomes a burning pot by the middle of November, the same cannot be said for Magnolia. From what Erza had heard about this beautiful city, Magnolia witnessed a pleasant weather throughout the year.

Another reason for Erza to feel a little better about a life that had been anything but stable in the past few months.

_Thank god for a stable weather at least, _she thought to herself, smiling. Coming from a city that dealt with extremes – summers that could make you melt, and winters that could jam your bones – it was a little refreshing to go to a city that promised a pleasant experience across seasons. Sometimes, Erza wondered if it was really worth living in a metropolitan where life seemed to have been trapped into a concrete box. If only she could stretch the confines of her sheltered existence a little more to see the beautiful world that unfurled outside.

Erza sighed and decided to steer away from the direction that her thoughts were headed towards. This was not the time to sit and sulk over a life out of which she'd no exit options. She was facing the consequences of her own mistake after all, and she was not the kind to sit back and whine about troubles that could be cut through with a little amount of determination and effort.

They were two hours away from Magnolia now, and to her utter relief – for Erza found it a little weird that the compartment in which she'd booked a seat had been empty so far – a few passengers walked in at the stations the train stopped by. The train journey…looked more like a train journey now. An old couple, a young college student and a paunchy man with a suitcase had joined them by the time they were halfway through, making everything around her seem a bit more…normal – for lack of a better word.

Running a hand through her hair and stroking the swell of her belly, Erza looked over at the new occupants before settling her gaze on the blue-haired man who'd piqued her interest. He was busy reading a magazine that he'd extracted from his rucksack, turning occasionally to look at her and pass her a smile.

However, Erza had not failed to notice the slight amount of artificiality that had crept into his beam – a smile that had seemed so genuine and bright just a few hours ago. It was as if a part of him had been gauged out every hour, peeling off the several layers that he had built around himself for a reason that she couldn't put her finger on. Not that he'd become a little less amicable now. No. Erza Scarlet was confident in her ability to understand people at first glance, and she still thought of him as the same person who had helped her through her little _phase. _The problem lay in how he seemed to be getting troubled by something that Erza would never be able to discern. It was a personal matter of course, and a very potent one at that, for it seemed to have taken the twinkle out of his eyes.

"We're about to reach," the man said all of a sudden, and sure enough, an announcement regarding the same was made exactly five minutes later. Erza nodded and put her novel back into her handbag. It was time to wear the best of her smiles on her lips.

"Here. I'll help you with this." Jellal Fernandez reached up and helped Erza take down the bag that had been placed above on the luggage rack. There was a great deal of shuffling in the compartment for the small number of passengers present, and Erza draped the scarf over her head and put on her Wayfarer. She'd decided not to call her best friend and tell her about her visit because she wanted to keep it a surprise. Thus, she'd had to prepare herself well to course through the city in a taxi like the ordinary masses. Not that it hadn't been a part of her previous plan with Simon already.

"Thank you," she said, smiling sweetly as Jellal placed her trolley bag carefully on the empty seat next to her.

"You're welcome," he said courteously, smiling in return. He too unloaded his rucksack and stuffed the magazine inside.

"Magnolia is very pleasant at this time of the year," he said, as they waited patiently for the train to roll into its designated platform. "I'm sure you'll like it here. Have you been to this city before?"

Erza shook her head.

"Never," she said, a note of regret in her tone. "Although, I wish I could have come a bit sooner. I mean, I've heard a great deal about it, and all of it has been about how Magnolia is the most beautiful city in this world."

"It's never too late for anything Ms Scarlet," Jellal offered without a pause, sounding eager all of a sudden. Erza would've been blind had she not noticed the hope that now seeped from his eyes. The transformation was so sudden that Erza was taken aback a little.

"It's never too late," he almost whispered this part to himself, looking out the window at the throng that seemed to choke the platform outside. A wistful smile stretched across his lips.

"Come. I'll help you through. Magnolia junction is a little crowded today."

Together, they made their way out of the compartment into a platform that did not look ready to accommodate the amount of people that had gathered in. While the station itself was quite massive – with its towering arches and an enormous hall sitting in front of the platforms – it still didn't seem enough to handle such a heavy amount of people flocking in with their trolleys trailing behind them, rushing through the several counters and skywalks to get into their respective trains.

"A little careful now," Erza heard Jellal say, his voice disembodied and distant, as she struggled to make her way through a group of excited undergrads off on a college trip. "Here. Hold my hand."

She noticed a hand emerging from somewhere ahead and grabbed it a little hesitantly. While there was nothing shady about the gentleman helping her out, she just felt a little odd at having to maintain such, well, closeness with a man she hardly knew. It was funny how both of them acted like they had known each other for ages.

"This way," Jellal said over the din of the platform, guiding her gently through the mass of passengers and their several hundred cases.

"My apologies. The tourist intake at this time of the year is ginormous."

"I can see that, yes," Erza chuckled, certainly amazed at how she'd never thought about making it to such a popular destination before. It was definitely a shame.

"Makes it all the more exciting."

They made their way – struggled to make their way, rather – through the mass of humanity for what seemed like ages, before bursting into the colossal hall that opened into the city ahead.

"This is quite an achievement-" Jellal joked, wiping a few beads of sweat that had materialised on his forehead. "-For us to make out of that hellhole in one piece. I hope you're fine Ms Scarlet."

"I certainly am," Erza assured, taking the handle of her trolley bag from the man. "Thank you Mr Fernandez," she took out her own bottle of water from her handbag and took a sip with much fervour. "I can feel the excitement in the air. Excitement of a hundred something tourists who're looking forward to exploring the city."

"I'm glad to hear that my hometown attracts the likes of such well-known personalities," Jellal replied, sniggering as he bowed to show his appreciation. "Hopefully, this city will live up to your expectations."

Erza smiled.

"I think it most certainly will."

Saying this, they manoeuvred towards the gates that opened up into Magnolia. A bright burst of light and a colourful sea of people greeted them as they made it past the ancient double doors. Now that Erza thought about it – and now that she wasn't in the stuffy area that had hampered her thought process a few minutes ago – the building looked pretty old. She could have presumed it to be a museum or an old castle had she not known that it was one of world's busiest railway stations.

"This is a beautiful structure," she commented, turning back to look at the massive archway through which they had passed.

"Built in the late 18th century by the royal family of Fiore as a gateway into the city, this was the kingdom's first step towards modernisation." Jellal offered, two seconds away from stepping into the shoes of a tour guide. "A lot of people who don't know much about this city's history presume that it was built by the-"

"Edolians," Erza cut in, her vocal chords working on their own all of a sudden. "The people of Edolas. The ones who ruled the Western lands till the mid-19th century. It's a common misconception because they were the ones who were ruling this city during that time period. Moreover, the royal families of Edolas and Fiore had a bone to pick with one another, and the Edolians always had the upper hand, therefore this misconception."

Jellal's mouth remained open for a few seconds.

"I-impressive," he said at length, letting out a burst of breath. "And I thought you had no idea about the city and its rich history."

"I don't," Erza replied immediately, her eyes blank and staring into the distance. "I mean, is that right? What I just said?"

Jellal looked a little uneasy. He shifted uncomfortably on the soles of his feet and looked around at the people that passed by.

"Yes," he said, almost in a whisper. "Right down to the last word."

Erza raised a brow, and something uneasy coursed through her veins. It was happening again.

"How do I possibly…" she began, narrowing her eyes at no one and nothing in particular. "I mean, I thought someone whispered that into my ears. I just…" she turned to look at the man by her side quizzically, a buzzing sound ringing through her head. "How and why do I…know that?"

Jellal looked at her for a moment, an odd look on his face. His eyes bore into hers, and there seemed to be an unrecognisable sentiment seeping from them, making her feel like there was something underneath – something waiting to spring forth, but something that had been subdued with great difficulty.

"I think I know why," he said after a minute's pause, eyes still fixed on her with a single-minded intensity.

Erza could feel a shiver running down her spine. Suddenly, it felt like she hadn't had water in ages.

Jellal continued to look at her intently for a minute more, his expressions not changing in the least. When Erza was about to put her inquiry into words, he burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking as he turned to look at the taxis that lined the street ahead.

"You must have read it somewhere, of course!" he said, his voice quaky as he laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's not that uncommon a fact, Ms Scarlet."

Erza looked on in confusion. A slight frown marked her features as she processed the man's words, damn sure that there was something fishy about this entire scenario. She couldn't have possibly known that fact, considering how she'd always acknowledged the limitations of her own 'big city mentality', as she often called it.

"True," she said finally, allowing herself a forced chuckle. "I think you're right. I must have read it somewhere at some point. A travel magazine, perhaps?"

She turned around on her heels, trying to distract herself by looking at the building and the people around some more, before Jellal demanded her attention again by pointing subtly at someone.

"Here comes your friend," he said loftily, looking into the distance ahead. Erza turned to look into the direction his eyes were fixed at, spotting the person concerned almost two seconds later.

All her apprehensions went down the drain the moment she saw the long white hair and bright blue eyes of a person she had missed so terribly.

"Mira!" Erza exclaimed, taking a step forward as her friend came dashing towards her, arms spread and a brilliant smile on her face.

"Erza!" The two friends ran straight into each other's arms, relishing the embrace for it came after an awfully long time. Old memories played before their eyes as they pulled apart and simply looked at each other with content.

"It's been so long," Erza whispered, heart fluttering with joy. "You haven't changed one bit."

"You haven't changed either," Mira commented, almost at the verge of tears. "Except for that little nutter in there," she added, poking at her bulging belly.

Erza rolled her eyes comically as she punched her friend lightly in the shoulders.

"Auntie must have informed you, right? I was planning to keep my visit a surprise."

Mira shrugged.

"Can't blame her for it, though. She's so…concerned about you, after all," While Erza did not fail to hear the little note of sarcasm in Mira's tone, she chose to ignore it. Her best friend had never really been a fan of her auntie's austere ways, one could say.

"Moreover, I would have never let you travel alone in the streets. Not with you looking like a giant beach ball, that is."

Erza huffed at the little comparison.

"I don't look fat," she ground out, folding her arms and looking away with a loud 'hmph'. "It's the…fat that accumulates during pregnancy. Plus, aunt has been serving me a lot of…calories of late."

Mirajane chuckled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Or, you've been treating yourself to some strawberry cakes of late. Lemme guess... that's your craving, right?"

Erza pretended to have not heard the question.

"Presumptions," she whispered, fanning herself theatrically as she looked away with a hint of red on her cheeks.

Mirajane doubled over with laughter, alarming a few passengers around.

"I've made some cake for you. I figured you would want it to be your welcome gift," she winked. "Lisanna helped me a lot with it. So did Elfman."

Erza's eyes twinkled as she was served that little piece of information. She did all that she could to prevent herself from drooling openly and giving away her secret fantasy.

"Lisanna and Elfman?" she exclaimed. "How are those two?"

"Excellent," Mirajane replied immediately. "Lisanna's interning at the Fiore Foundation for Protection of Wildlife, and Elfman's getting married in six months."

Erza choked on her spit.

"Elfman _what?" _she blurted, caught completely off guard by the explosive news.

"Yup. He's getting married. She used to be his client at the gym. They make an… interesting couple," Mirajane offered, shrugging.

"Shut up," Erza cut in, not believing a word of what her friend had just said. "I thought Elfman was not the kind who would, you know, settle so early in life. I mean, that's surprising, yet exciting at the same time."

Mirajane nodded. "You have no idea how worked up Lisanna is about all of this. Not as much as I am, though." She winked.

Erza scoffed and patted her friend's back. "Of course," she said matter-of-factly. "You are Era High's infamous matchmaker, after all. I'm surprised you haven't converted this into a business yet."

Mirajane rolled her eyes and looked over Erza's shoulders.

"Oh, won't you introduce me to your friend here? I caught you both talking quite amicably five minutes ago."

Erza turned around to look at Jellal who was busy reading the announcements displayed digitally on a screen overhead.

"Ah yes," she said, surprised at how she had forgotten all about him after her little reunion with Mira. "We met just a few hours ago. He's a fellow passenger."

She walked towards the man and Mira tagged along.

"Jellal?" she said, putting her hands around her best friend's shoulders. "This is my friend Mira. Mirajane Strauss. We were schoolmates and best mates for practically half our lives. We still are the best of friends, in fact. Mira, meet Mr Jellal Fernandez, an artist from Magnolia."

The two looked at each other immediately and Erza swore their eyes were talking. There was something particularly odd about the way they regarded each other, and simply stood on the spot without uttering a word for at least a minute.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Fernandez," Mira was the first to break the silence after a long pause. She held out a hand which Jellal took without any hesitation.

"Nice to meet you too, Ms Strauss," he said, bowing a little as a part of courtesy. "Haola."

"Haola." Mirajane replied back.

Erza raised a brow. "Am I being left out of some kind of a secret, coded way of communication or something?" she asked.

Jellal turned to look at her and answered her query.

"Haola means hello in Edolian. It's how we Magnolians greet each other. You should get used to it now, Ms Scarlet."

Erza nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Interesting," she mumbled. "It's always good to know something new," she looked at the several taxis that formed a neat line along the driveway leading to the station, when a simple thought struck her all of a sudden. It was an observation so obvious and straightforward, that she was surprised it hadn't occurred to her earlier. A scene from five minutes ago played before her eyes, as she remembered how Jellal had alerted her of her friend's presence when she'd been observing the people filtering into the hall before the platforms.

"Mr Fernandez," she said all of sudden, as the two made to move away from the crowded gates of the station.

"How…did you know that Mira was my friend? I mean, she was in the crowd when you pointed her out to me."

Jellal stopped in his tracks, his mouth open a little. Mirajane looked slightly uncomfortable as well. As usual, Erza chose to ignore that little detail.

"I…" began the blue-haired man, uncertainty written all over his face. He remained silent for a few seconds, but then turned around in a swift movement and passed Erza a smile that did not reach his eyes. "It was pretty obvious actually. Ms Strauss here was waving at you from a distance and you weren't looking in her direction. I assumed her to be a friend because she looks roughly your age and seemed to make it look like she hasn't seen you in ages. It was just a guess, really."

Erza wasn't sure why she was still unconvinced.

"Oh…alright," she said anyway. "Somebody's trying to be Sherlock." She added with a hint of humour.

Jellal smiled sheepishly.

"Ah well…" he began, unsure about what to say in such a situation. That was when Mirajane jumped into the conversation with a little cough and pointed to a car parked in the distance.

"I think we should move now. It's getting a little too crowded in here," she snatched the trolley handle from her friend's hands and walked towards the car park. Erza turned to look at Jellal as he began to move towards the taxis.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr Fernandez," she said, offering her hand. "I was thinking if I could come around someday to have a look at your work? Art appreciation would do wonders for me I suppose."

Jellal almost stopped in the middle of shaking her hands fervently.

"O-of course," he said, looking a little ruffled (or was that just Erza's silly imagination?). "Uncle would be glad to have you there… So would I," he fished for something in his pockets.

"Here," he held out a visiting card. "You can come around…anytime," as he said this, Jellal chose not to look at her and instead, found the tiled floor beneath him more interesting.

"Oh sure. Thanks," Erza slipped the paper into her dress pocket and squirmed a little at the awkward pause that followed. The two remained glued to the spot, waiting for the other to say or do something. Fortunately for them, they were relieved of this heavy responsibility when Mirajane called out to them from a car standing a few feet away, her hands on her hips as she looked on with slight impatience.

"Alright then Ms Erza," Jellal finally offered, sensing that he had no other way out. "This is it then. Hope to…see you around at my studio soon," he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Erza nodded and moved towards the car waiting ahead.

"You live somewhere near?" she asked, unable to say good bye for a reason she couldn't comprehend. A sudden anxiety seized her at the thought of parting ways with the man; as if there was something unsaid left between the two, and that she was finding it difficult to pinpoint what that unstated fact was. It was out there somewhere – perhaps, in the wilderness that were her emotions – waiting to be conceived and understood by her. This anxiety that was eating at her from within was no newcomer to her life. She'd had her fair share of phases where she would feel like there was something big coming; something that would surely spell trouble for her because it was a part of a life that had literally been scooped out of her. However, no matter how wary she would be of this unknown phenomenon that always lurked around without a name or face, today – and of all the possible events and persons that could have been involved – Erza managed to forge an identity for her unexplained anxieties in the form of a man she'd met just a few hours ago.

Yes, Erza Scarlet could sense something unusual from the person who stood just inches to her right, fearing that there might be more to her current situation than what people around her were letting on. And by people around her, she meant not only the man who accompanied her on her way towards the car park, but also a friend that she'd known for ages, counting on her for even the littlest of secrets that she would have wanted to share.

"Careful!"

Erza almost missed a step and stumbled forward, thanks to her recently developed and life threatening habit of spacing out at inappropriate times. She staggered a bit, but was fortunately steadied by Jellal who immediately clasped a hand around her arm. Mirajane slapped her forehead and shouted something about carelessness from where she stood next to her car.

Erza raised a hand to show that she was fine and moved a little more carefully now. It was high time she disallowed herself from putting the baby in any kind of danger from this galling habit that she'd developed quite recently. She'd to turn back to being the person she used to be before the events that occurred five months ago. If she couldn't manage that, she had no choice but to doubt her own ability to assimilate the values that her aunt had taught her so far.

_Don't let it bring you down Scarlet. Move forward like you always have. _

A little help from her best friend and Mr Fernandez – for it had become a tad bit difficult getting easily into cars with the little bulge down her front – and Erza settled herself comfortably in the backseat of the sedan. Mirajane joined her a second later after loading the trolley bag into the trunk.

"Let's go Uncle," she said to the elderly driver, and Erza leaned forward on her seat to take a look at the man outside.

"Thank you for everything Jellal," she said one last time, feeling a little strange as she did so. "I'll come around for sure," she took out the visiting card from her pocket and waved it at him.

Jellal nodded and scooted off to a taxi nearby in a hurried fashion.

And as he walked towards the yellow cab to negotiate with the driver, Erza did not fail to notice the slight limp that marked his gait – a feature that had not been so prominent a while ago.

She found herself frowning for no particular reason.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"I'm home!"

A squeal of excitement marked his entry into the house, as Jellal quickly hid the box of chocolates behind his back and made his way through the little hallway. This was the section of Rob's studio hidden from the crowd; a section you entered through the alley in the back, and a section that served as a residential quarter for his family of three.

"Uncle Rob! Jelly beans is back!" a female voice rang through the corridor, and the next instance, a bobbing head of pink peeked through a door that opened a little distance away on his left.

Jellal rolled his eyes.

"That name again," he mumbled, as his younger sister, Meredy Fernandez, came rolling towards him in her wheelchair.

"What's wrong with the name?" the pink haired girl mused, pouting. "It's an excellent name and it suits you well," she stuck out her tongue.

"Alright then candy floss," Jellal offered back in vengeance. He wasn't going to let his sister have an edge over him.

Unfortunately, Meredy was not the kind to get upset by nicknames that she found 'cute'. And candy floss was one of them.

"Thank you," she said with a bright smile on her face, her little hands driving the wheels towards her elder brother.

"You've got something for me, haven't you?" she motioned to the hand behind his back where he was hiding the chocolates.

"Patience," Jellal said in a saintly voice. "You certainly need a lot of it."

Meredy pretended to have not heard him.

"Those are the chocolates I asked for, right? The ones you get only in Era?"

Jellal sighed and gave up. His sister was a chocolate hog and there was no way he could keep her away from a brand that she practically worshipped.

"Here you go," he said, tossing the box at her and watching her catch it with much eagerness. Her eyes twinkled as they fell on the rich wrapping, and she began to shred the cover to pieces almost immediately.

Jellal chuckled.

"Where's Uncle Rob?" he asked, walking past a drooling Meredy towards his room at the end of the corridor.

"In the studio, working," she said, her voice muffled as she gorged on a piece.

_Working? Right now?_

"That's odd. He doesn't work on Sundays," he said, raising a brow. "Unless… it's a piece that has caught his attention," he realised almost a second later. "Fine. Tell him I've something to discuss with him. I'll be in my room."

"Lunch?" Meredy asked, as he opened the door to a tiny cubicle that was his bedroom. "I'll set the table-"

Jellal shook his head. "That will be fine, Meredy" he said over his shoulders. "I had something to eat on the way. Not hungry right now," saying this, he stepped into his room and closed the door behind him.

The moment he was on the other side – shielded from an insightful sister who had definitely through his façade – he tossed his rucksack across the room and fell into a chair by the bed.

Vibrant flashes of red hair and brown eyes attacked him from all sides, leaving him breathless.

_Don't do this to yourself...don't._

Cupping his face with his hands and sighing into them, he tried to get his thoughts back on track. It was almost an impossible task though, for he still hadn't learnt how to get past those few minutes that had changed his life, his destiny forever. He still needed to put in a lot of effort and go through several mental drills to get past that point, and there was no way Jellal was going to let his emotions take the better of him when he was aware that the ramifications could be deadly.

After all, he'd been introduced to the consequences before.

And there was no way he wished to be privy to them again.

A sharp knock at the door drove him out of this pathetic state. He jerked at the suddenness of the sound, causing his right knee to crick with the movement.

"Come in," he said as he grabbed the affected area, rolling his pant leg right up to the knee. Uncle Rob walked in the next instance, and proceeded to settle himself on the chair opposite.

"Welcome home son," he said, his voice warm, and reflecting the gentle smile that stretched across his lips. "How was the journey?"

Jellal smiled wistfully.

"Let's just say some unexpected things happened on the way," he offered, not meeting his foster father's eyes.

Rob let out a sigh and rubbed his bearded chin. The look in his eyes was the look of a man who'd seen enough life to understand how things worked in general.

"Unexpected things... you mean you happened to come across people you expected to come across in the least."

Jellal ran his fingers through his hair and let out a forceful burst of breath.

"Bingo," he whispered, doing a quick survey of the joints and appendages that attached the prosthetic leg to his right knee.

"Is it working?" Uncle Rob asked all of sudden, his tone changing slightly, giving it a more professional touch. This was the voice he used with prospective clients and buyers.

Jellal looked confused for a moment, but understood what his uncle was trying to say the next second.

"Ah yes, it's working fine. I need to work a little on my posture though. The doctor said-"

"I'm not talking about your leg, Jellal," Uncle Rob cut in, his tone going a little deeper. "I'm talking about that aspect of your life that you generally don't like talking about."

"That topic's dead and buried, uncle. There's no point digging it out."

"Oh! So it's a _topic _now," Uncle Rob retorted, slightly perturbed. "Your _life _is merely a _topic _now. Jellal, my son, you've changed more than I'm willing to admit and accept."

"Circumstances have changed me. My hands are tied."

Uncle Rob let out a harsh, jagged laugh.

"My enthusiastic son, who'd once vowed to never give up on his dreams has today, reduced to such a state that he refuses to believe that people can make their own destinies! I'm…I'm amazed, Jellal, at how easily you've discarded your ideals and-"

"What do I do then?" Jellal burst out, shaken by the bitter truth that uncle had rubbed in his face. He knew he wasn't being himself, and that he had changed substantially in nature and character over the past few months, but there was no way he could go back to being the Jellal that he had once been. Not when so much was at stake.

"Should I try to make things go back to the way they used to be? Even after knowing that it'll do everybody involved more harm than good? You know everything about my situation and condition, uncle, and it's no secret that I've no power and _right_ to even _think _about making a difference in the way my life is playing itself out. As much as it hurts me to say such things and make such claims, I've no choice but to look at it as the lesser of two evils."

Uncle Rob looked a little shaken as well, but he was the better out of the two at handling grief and stress. He had years of experience to look back on, after all.

"Look Jellal," he said, his voice back to being calm and gentle. "I respect your individuality and I respect your decision. You're an adult and you've the right and the ability to make your own choices. But, that will never alter the opinion I've regarding a decision, which I believe, has the potential to destroy not one, but many lives."

Jellal sighed deeply.

"I respect your opinion, uncle," he said truthfully. "I always have. Unfortunately, respecting it is the only thing I can do about it right now."

Silence fell between the two males in that small room. Uncle and nephew looked at each other intently, conveying messages through their eyes; the resolute, experienced eyes of Uncle Rob; and the defeated, saddened eyes of Jellal. While one was trying to console the other by making him understand the importance of never losing that touch of idealism in life, the other was determined, by virtue of his own experiences, to move ahead with heartless decisions even if it involved a compromise of his own happiness. It was a never-ending battle that would almost always result in a dead-lock.

"Uncle?" Meredy's sweet voice interrupted their silent conversation through the door. "We've a certain Mr Marley on the line. He says he wants to talk to you about the sculpture you made for the Magnolian exhibition last year."

"Coming dear!" Uncle Rob called back, getting up in a swift movement and walking quickly towards the door. For a man in his mid-sixties, he was one hell of an athlete.

His hands lingered for a moment above the door handle, contemplating as he was about what to say to assuage the grimness of his nephew's situation. He waited for a moment or two, mouth open to let out some words of encouragement, but nothing went past his lips. He sealed them shut the moment he decided it was better to let his nephew pick up the pieces himself.

_I'm sure you'll do well, son._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jellal Fernandez gave a few sharp jabs to the apparatus that kept the prosthetic in place. Standing up with a hand braced against the bed at his side, he moved his right foot in circles first, and then did the same thing with his entire leg. A swing back and forth in all directions, and Jellal was satisfied with the way his 'leg' worked.

_A few more sessions, and I'll work this out fine._

Exasperated from the long journey, he dropped into his bed the next instance, raising his right leg to bring it perpendicular to his body.

And as he looked dazedly at the apparatus clinging to him, he was able to draw an analogy between his life and the prosthetic gracing his leg.

It was funny, yet unsettling how his life resembled his damaged limb. Right in the middle, it diverged from a healthy, 'natural' path to an artificial, hollow one that was a far cry from the one that he had defined himself with thus far. Yet, just like how he'd to learn to live with the prosthetic for the rest of his life, he also had to learn to live with the artificialities that were the inevitable by-products of his own resolution.

_That's right, Jellal Fernandez. _

_Learn to live with it. _

_Learn to live with your own decisions, _he said to himself.

* * *

**(A/N): Phew! I managed to update this one on time. The victory is mine. \(^ ^)/  
**

**I know the Sherlock reference was kinda...random, but I can't help it, really. The wait for the third season is killing me, and I'm currently going through the first two seasons as a part of my weekend marathon because I've nothing better to do in life. Anyone else waiting for Sherlock season 3? :)  
**

**SPOILER: Chapter 335... *grossuglysobbing* I just can't...ULTTEEAAAAARRRRRR! She deserves to know what that one minute was worth. Just think about it guys! I'm pretty sure Ultear saved a LOT MORE lives. I mean, of course she saved Gray, Macao, Bacchus, Gajeel and Droy among other wizards on ground zero, but I'm damn sure she also managed to save countless other lives across earthland. Picture this. A man in some part of Fiore that is away from the battleground is walking down the street. Suddenly, he has a vision of himself being hit by a lacrima driven car as he crosses the road. He takes precaution and decides to wait for a minute to pass. The car zooms past and he happily crosses the road without a scratch or worry in the world. You get the point, right? Even if she has to die, I hope she's still taking her last breath right now, waiting for Meredy and the others to show up. They NEED to tell her what her sacrifice was worth!**

**On a happier note, anyone else looking forward to the 5th OVA releasing this Monday? My jerza senses are tingling hardcore at the moment. 0:)**

**Reviews? :p**


	4. Compulsions

**A/N: Plot twist alert.**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

**-CHAPTER FOUR-**

**Compulsions**

* * *

It was a little funny how Erza Scarlet hadn't visited her best friend even once in the eight years since her relocation to Magnolia. While a lot of factors were to be blamed for her inability to pay Mira a visit, Erza decided to blame her tendency to bundle up by a large dump of files in the office, the most out of an extensive list available. While it was comforting for her to drown herself in work, Erza was no stranger to the idea that a little amount of fresh air wouldn't do her much harm. Luckily, she'd finally decided to give herself a chance with this beaten ideology and explore beyond the barbed wires that entombed her imagination.

"We're home!" Mirajane chimed in her melodious voice as she guided Erza over the threshold into the Strauss residence. This being her ancestral home, the façade was that of a medieval castle fused with a contemporary structure, making it look like a wonder trapped in transition from one epoch to the next. The house was sparsely furnished but unreservedly designed – a well enough reflection of its owner's tastes and preferences. Mira had always had that spark in her to design and beautify every inch of space available around her – be it her dorm in Era High, or even the little dog house she had installed in her apartment back in Era. Erza smiled as she observed her friend's handiwork blazing at her from the walls around, amazed at how she'd managed to make the house look so full and complete despite the deliberate lack of articles.

"This place is beautiful," Erza mumbled, as she noticed a small indoor fountain towards the end of the hall she was walking through.

"This was Lisanna's idea," Mirajane offered, as she passed Erza's trolley bag to one of the maids who had coming running towards them. "The fountain, that is. She thinks it makes the house look close to nature."

Erza nodded in vigour. "It certainly does. I won't be surprised if you give me a ring one day to inform me that you've gotten into interior designing. You'll make a fortune out of it."

Mira waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. I'm better off with the family business. There's no one left to handle it, after all." She shrugged.

Erza was sure she caught a note of regret in her friend's tone. Mirajane had always wanted to make a career in modelling, but family circumstances and her tendency to put her younger siblings' wishes above her own, forced her to take up a job that she otherwise would've readily opted out of. Yet, being the determined trooper that Erza had always known her to be, she managed to take this little disability in her stride and move forward with it sans a frown on her face.

After a thorough tour of the Strauss' ancestral property, Erza was finally made to sit on a couch in the cosy looking drawing room. There she met Lisanna, Mira's soft-spoken kid sister, who'd just returned from her shift in her new office. The moment the young Strauss laid her eyes on the redhead, she squealed like she'd just seen some rare species of an animal.

"Erza san!" she gasped, running straight into the female's arms, making sure not to crash into her baby bump.

"What a surprise! You certainly look bigger from the pictures you sent us last!" she pointed to her belly.

Erza was mildly annoyed at the not so careful choice of words. But then, unlike Mira who was a little more sly and deliberate in her attempts to pull Erza's legs at every occasion possible, Lisanna wasn't the kind who would poke fun at people. She was obviously referring to her bump only.

"Yeah. I completed six months a week back," Erza offered with a smile, as Lisanna's eyes widened upon hearing that little piece of news.

"Time flies," she said, her eyes still a big circle with wonder and ecstasy. "Look at Elf-ni! Did Mira nee tell you about the wedding in six months?"

Erza nodded.

"Can you believe it though? I mean I can't, being his sister! It's a little too much for me," she winked.

Erza chuckled. "I'd the same reaction. Elfman getting married? Too good to be true. Speaking of the groom-to-be, where is he? I can't see him around."

Mirajane jumped in to answer the question.

"Holidaying at in-laws'," she said, and Erza wondered if she caught her smirking ever so slightly in the process. "He'll be back by tomorrow, if they let him come back in one piece, that is."

Erza's eyebrows met in the middle. "And…what is that supposed to mean?"

Lisanna chuckled into her hands and something passed between the two sisters in silence. It was one of those things that were meant to be kept secret, but the persons exchanging the information concerned never bothered to hide being privy to it. Erza knew well that the look was meant to be made visible to her. You could call it a kind of tease in the Strauss language and way of things.

"You'll get to know once you meet his fianceé. She's coming over next weekend," Mira refused to offer anything more and sew her lips shut in that instance.

Erza shrugged her shoulders and let it be. She'd the distinct feeling there was some kind of family joke being passed between the Strauss sisters. She decided she'd wait till the next weekend and not push the topic any further. She was busy looking at the photographs perched atop the mantelpiece when she was suddenly reminded of the treat waiting for her in the kitchen. The growl issuing from her tummy had been a strong indication.

"I believe you'd some welcome gift to give," she said to Mira, not ashamed in the least. There was no point pretending she didn't crave for a good old strawberry cake anymore. The cat had been let out the bag ages ago.

Mira gave her a look that was equivalent to saying 'impatience is a vice', but conceded nonetheless. Her hands had been itching to feed her friend all throughout the journey back home. Cooking, after all, had always been one of her better latent talents.

"Freshen up. I'll meet you in the dining room in ten," she said, and Erza nodded as Lisanna volunteered to guide her to her bedroom. With slow but steady steps, Erza made her way through a long corridor that ran to the left of the main staircase, halting before the door to a cosy looking room complete with a classy fireplace.

"See you at the dining table," the youngest Strauss said with a brilliant smile on her face. "If you need anything, just call me or the maids up on that intercom by the bed. My room is ten steps away, just in case," she pointed to a door they had passed a few seconds ago and that lay almost adjacent to the main staircase.

Erza gave a gentle smile and patted Lisanna on the back in appreciation. The latter winced slightly as Erza's taekwondo honed palm hit her with unintentional sharpness just inches away from her spine.

"I'll take not more than five minutes," the redhead answered back, as she began shuffling through her travel bag for her favourite smock. The weather here was balmy and Erza was happy she'd packed the right kind of clothes for the temperature.

The door closed softly behind her and Erza proceeded towards the spacious bathroom at the end of the room. A quick shower which took all but two minutes – an unusual feat because she was known for almost spacing out under the water – and Erza was already toweling herself dry. The magnetic pull of her strawberry cake had managed to cut through doors and cast a firm grip on her senses.

"We're at Aunt Mira's," she said to the little bump down below, absently stroking it with her free hand. While having once assured herself that she'd never pick up this rather overly emotional habit anytime in the due course of her pregnancy, Erza had managed to succumb to this custom after having heard from her doctor that it was the most sensible thing to do while expecting. Her baby could react and feel safe in the familiarity of her voice and tone, and Erza wasn't going to lie by saying she didn't enjoy these little one-sided chat sessions with her kid. After all, it was the only thing that tied her firmly to a world that was constantly swirling around her at a tremendous speed, making her lose both her footing and sanity occasionally.

"The weather here's good. Much better than Era's. But we still have a week left before we can meet your dad," she sighed, going back to the primary reason she was away from home when she wasn't supposed to be. "Inconvenient, but appropriate. This gives me time to…" she broke off, unable to articulate exactly how this situation was any appropriate. She was unsure about what it was that she was supposed to do in the time she waited for Simon to come back. Sightseeing? Yes. But, what was it that she'd originally intended to say?

_Gives me time to… _do exactly what?

Erza was at a loss for words.

One quick look at the foggy mirror up ahead, and she hurriedly slipped into the smock hanging by the shower cubicle, determined to not let her eternal troubles rile her any further. She had been given the opportunity to set foot out of her house after a long time, and considering the pleasant weather and sites here, she thought it appropriate not to delve into such dark matters anymore. It was time she let those things sit exactly where they ought to be – in a deep pit embedded well in the past.

"You're taking ages!" came a sharp yet sweet voice from the other side of the bathroom door, shaking Erza out of her thoughts. The redhead frowned as she gathered her thought stream into a coherent whole and realised it was Mira being impatient on the other side.

"It hasn't been a second past five minutes," Erza ground out in frustration as she gave a quick pat to her head with the towel. "Stop being so difficult."

Mira snorted and gave a sharp jab to the door.

"Hurry up or the cake ends up in my tummy," she threatened.

Erza all but brought down the door as she wrenched it open in righteous fury.

"Three months," she said, although her tone wasn't as ruthless as she had meant it to be. "Give me three months and we'll be able to duke it out and settle some old scores."

Mirajane giggled into her hands. While she seemed to have achieved a certain level of _demureness _after shifting to Magnolia, her old, rough ways hadn't managed to bury themselves under her present countenance. They still surfaced here and there, either in the form of certain _inappropriate _words that slipped out of her mouth at times, or her clenched fists that were involuntarily brandished at unlucky chaps that managed to get on her wrong side. Either way, Mirajane the demon had not been forgotten.

"Fine! Fine!" the silver haired female sang, throwing a nimble hand around her friend's shoulder and pushing her forward.

"Let's feed you first."

The modular kitchen was a cosy little thing. While giant enough to qualify as a spot for the master bedroom, it still gave the impression that it was stuffed to the limit. While this space seemed like the only exception to the otherwise negligently furnished house, Erza knew the justification lay in the fact that for Ms Eldest Strauss, kitchen was the heart of a home.

"Here, have a seat," Mira pulled a chair at the oblong dining table and scuttled off to get the treat. Lisanna joined them just a second later after having freshened up herself.

"So, how's business going in Era?" she asked, picking a juicy red apple from the giant fruit basket placed at the centre of the table. "I heard you signed a big deal with Dreyar Corporation. It was all over the news a couple of days back."

Erza nodded.

"That was all Auntie's hard-work though," she said, giving a little shake to some strands of wet hair that fell on her face. "She was the brain behind it all."

"Ah! That feeling's back again," Mira's voice boomed through the kitchen as she appeared again in a flash, carrying a massive plate of strawberry cake in her hands. "The feeling that someone in this room is understating her own abilities again."

Erza rolled her eyes.

"For the umpteenth time Mira," she said, hands reaching automatically for the knife lying by her plate. "I'm still learning. I've got a long way to go."

"Says not a single employee in Scarlet Industries who has seen you slog your ass off on these projects. Heck even _my_ employees here in Magnolia know what a prodigy you are behind your work desk."

"While I appreciate the fact that you think so highly of me," Erza replied in a drawl, "I'm also aware of the limits I've as of now. There's never been any harm in admitting your weaknesses, has there? It just makes you work on your shortcomings and move forward with a new found enthusiasm and effort."

"It would've been an interesting philosophy to listen to," Mirajane cut in, her tone oozing sarcasm, "had I not been made to listen to it almost every time that you decided to talk about your job. Give it a break Erza. It's time you enjoy the fruits of your toil."

While Mirajane had certainly not meant the cake to be her 'fruits of toil', Erza deliberately took it as such, thinking of it as a divergence from the topic. No matter how many times she tried to make Mira understand the massive role her aunt played in signing these important deals, the latter never bothered to show any patience for such well-meant accolades.

"This is the best strawberry cake I've had so far!" the redhead proclaimed thus, stuffing a mouthful while preparing for her next bite on her plate. "I think I should come over to Magnolia every weekend for a bite, whatsay?"

Lisanna nodded enthusiastically.

"Absolutely!" she squeaked in delight. "There is so much to do here! And with you coming over every weekend, Mira and I will probably have an itinerary prepared for your tour around the city. And there's always Uncle Beth's Bakery on Chrysanthemum Street! That place can never get old!"

Mira decided to join in. "What about that pub in Central Square? It attracts people from all over the country. Not sure if Erza has heard of it though. She tries hard to steer clear from such places."

"For a good reason too," the person being discussed butted in, "the air in those places makes me puke. And trust me when I say the culprit is not the stench of alcohol."

Mira snorted. "A natural aversion to discotheques? That's rare."

Erza shrugged her shoulders and continued digging into the delicious dessert.

"In any case, I don't think it's wise to shake my booty around staggering bodies when I've a baby bump on me."

Lisanna chortled into her hands, the apple almost lodging itself in her throat as she tried hard not to swallow while sniggering.

"Sometimes…" she gasped after her laughing fit had ended. "You say the strangest of things in the strangest of ways."

Mirajane raised a salad spoon in the air and pointed it at the redhead.

"That's Erza for you," she said in a made up, grand sounding voice, as if she was presenting a rare masterpiece to visitors in a museum.

Erza rolled her eyes, but allowed herself a smile. This face to face chat session with her friend had come after a ridiculously long time. For years prior to the incident and the five months after it, Skype had been the closest thing to a tete-a-tete between her and the Strauss family. She cherished this little moment that she was sharing with her loved ones after a long while.

"Do I get a second helping?" she said through her cream stuffed mouth, pushing her plate forward expectantly.

The Strauss sisters laughed again at Erza's endearing antics.

"Second you say?" Mira raised a brow. "First, this is _not _your second helping. Second, you can have the cake to yourself."

Erza was sure she would explode with happiness any second.

"You sure you don't want some?"

Mira shook her head. "All for you!"

Stabbing the spongy and creamy surface with the knife in her hand, Erza wondered if life could have offered her a better chance at this point. A few months ago, she'd assumed there was no way out of the colossal mess that she'd unwillingly become a part of. While the consequences may not have been that much more damning, her life had certainly taken a turn to move into a whirlpool that threatened to disrupt the normal pace of her life. In such a scenario where she was still learning how to collect the pieces left scattered by the gash in her past, it was heartening for her to finally unleash herself and laugh without much hesitation in the presence of her best friends. The Strauss residence had turned out to be the safe sanctum she'd been striving to attain for a long time.

Just a few more steps forward, Erza told herself, and she was sure she would be able to harness enough strength to untangle the several complicated webs that crisscrossed around her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was during the afternoon meal that Jellal realised his family was one member short. Uncle Rob was seated at his usual place at the head of the tiny, rectangular dining table. Meredy had moved into her favourite spot on the other end, and Jellal was currently drawing a chair to the left of his foster father, the seat opposite him, unoccupied.

Jellal turned to look questioningly at his sister.

"She's at her friend's place, two streets down," Meredy replied, setting the plates and spoons in a neat pattern across the table. Uncle Rob helped her out with this.

"I just called her to ask when she's coming back. She said she's on her way and that we should start without her."

Jellal frowned, uneasiness pricking at him from within. "She shouldn't be walking around much in this condition. She's due in less than a month and there are certain complications that she needs to take care of."

Meredy shrugged, helping herself to some steamed rice and curry. "Can't blame her, though," she said, "she's been holed up here for months. Seldom does she get the chance to go out and have some fun with the limited number of friends she has out there. It works wonders for her."

Jellal sighed and picked up a plate for himself. "You're right. She needs to get out more. This place always ends up reminding her of-" he broke off, his hand halting in the process of serving himself some rice. His fingers twitched a little as he mentally ran through what he was about to say.

Uncle Rob sighed into his plate, hit again by the words that his nephew had not even uttered.

A sharp ring reverberating through the little dining room alerted them of the person at the door. The food was forgotten for a second.

"Must be her," Jellal said, glad for this interruption. "I'll get the door."

In silence, he walked down the narrow corridor that connected all the rooms in this little house. Due to Uncle having used up the space adjoining their little abode to create the studio that was their temple, the Fernandes' did not have a drawing room in their house. The door towards which he was walking led straight to this corridor, which in turn led to the different rooms that made up their small, yet humble abode.

The woman he'd been expecting at the door smiled the moment she laid her eyes upon him across the threshold.

"You're back, Jellal-san," Juvia Loxar said with a twinkle in her eyes, her hand placed atop the heavy bulge down her front. A slight tinge of pink on her cheeks hinted at the great time she must have had at her friend's after so long. It was one of those things that made Jellal feel like this entire process that they were collectively going through was worth it in the end.

"Here, I'll hold this for you," he offered, pulling at the giant handbag that hung from the woman's shoulder.

"Freshen up quickly. We've just started with lunch."

Juvia smiled sweetly, just the way she was naturally disposed to. "Thank you," she said in her soft voice, wiping a bead of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. With cautious steps, she stepped into the house over the little platform like projection that spread over the threshold.

With a trace of resolve in his heart, Jellal mustered enough courage to raise his hands and put them gently around the lady's shoulders, enabling her to walk better on the rugged carpet that adorned the corridor. Despite having been in a _relationship _for the past four months, these things were, and would always be, more of a standard procedure that was his responsibility to follow. A slight, uncomfortable shift of her weight from the right to her left foot suggested that Juvia's way of thinking was probably not much different from his.

"How was your trip, Jellal-san?" she asked in that gentle tone of hers as her fiancé guided her over to the bedroom in the far end of the corridor. "The exhibition must have been exciting. Juvia read about it in the papers."

Jellal nodded, passing a tender beam to his fianceé of four months.

"It was amazing, as usual," he said. "Got to meet a lot of fellow artists I haven't come across in months."

Juvia nodded. "That's good to hear. Did you get any commissions this time?"

Jellal paused for a second, eyebrows dipped in fierce concentration as he tried hard to avoid Juvia's gaze. A made up cough was in order to provide some sort of a distraction from this tiny, yet unusual change in his behaviour.

"I did," he said then, his voice a pitch lower as he finally made it to the bedroom and opened the door for his fianceé to enter. "I'm yet to get a call back though."

"You're the finest artist Juvia's come across in her life. She's sure you'll be doing some big pieces this year," Juvia said almost immediately, a little dash of red glistening on her cheeks. She stepped into the bedroom, followed in by Jellal who, too, coloured a little.

"That's encouraging," he said, compounding his statement with a little laughter. "I'm sure I'll do fine." He placed the handbag that he'd been carrying for Juvia on the dressing table and motioned towards the door.

"Freshen up. I'll meet you at the dining table."

A slight nod of agreement was what he saw of the young lady, before he shut the door close and walked briskly towards the kitchen, his breaths coming out in short and quick bursts.

_Stop thinking so much, _he said to himself, appalled at having been unable to tell the full truth to his fianceé, yet convinced it had been the right thing to do. It wasn't like she was unaware of his other businesses in Era. Jellal had made sure to make a clean breast of his complicated affairs before accepting the lady's hand in marriage and it was really not like she could have been kept in the dark for long. Juvia had always been an integral part of his little family, and knowing the truth had been both a given and a right.

However, it was what followed that mattered.

If Juvia had been brave enough to make it through the blazing inferno that her life had been over the past few months, Jellal thought it his responsibility and necessity to go through the same procedure without a flinch. He had some roles to play and a task to fulfil; a job so important, that even if he were to say that he'd no desire to go through this arrangement, he was bound by word and duty to see it all through. If he were to back out at this moment, there was no way he could forgive himself for the lives that would be destroyed in the process.

Walking into the dining room with this thought still swirling about in his head, Jellal didn't realise he looked somewhat off as he sat between his uncle and sister, chin resting on top of his interlocked fingers.

"What's gotten into you?" Meredy inquired, pulling her older brother out of his musings. "You look demented."

Jellal frowned as he took in his surroundings. He had not noticed entering the kitchen and taking a seat at the dining table. Around him, Uncle Rob and Meredy had yet to touch the food served on their plates.

"What? me?" Jellal asked rather stupidly, his cover blown as Meredy's perceptive eyes bore deep into his transparent ones. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The pink haired girl was not convinced in the least. She never was about anything that concerned Jellal and his well-being, what with her onii-san being terrible at lying and covering up his emotions. Yet, the little girl was wise beyond her years and tactful enough to let things go when they did not have the scope of being stretched any further.

"Alright. I think I'll buy that," she mumbled to herself, returning to staring at her plate. Dealing with her brother was frustrating at times, but that was how things had always been between the two. There are certain aspects, certain lines in any relationship that are better left uncrossed, and Meredy was wise enough to identity and demarcate those lines. After all, there was always this issue of Jellal being pretty older and well versed with the ways of the world than she was.

Five minutes into Jellal's return at the table, and Juvia finally arrived after having freshened up and changed into a smock. There was a pretty glow on her cheeks that made everyone around the table breathe a sigh of relief. Sights such as a slight colour on her cheeks were a good sign during a pregnancy as turbulent as the one that she was going through.

"Welcome home my dear," Uncle Rob greeted with a smile on his face. "How was your day?"

Juvia, once seated comfortably on her seat opposite Jellal, gave a thumbs up to her beloved uncle and fatherly figure.

"Amazing," she said, turning over a plate for herself. "Had a lot of catching up to do with friends. It's been so long."

"I'm sure you did," Uncle Rob chimed. "You should go visit them more often. In fact, we were just talking about how charged up you look every time you make such a visit, making it all worth it in the end."

Juvia giggled demurely into her hands.

"Juvia will see to it then," she said, with a twinkle in her eyes that surprised Jellal. This was a rare sight indeed.

"Rice?" he said, determined to not let any of his troubles affect his relationships in the family. He was way past the point where he could allow his problems to take precedence over other issues concerning the people that sat around him. In fact, there had never been and would never be a time when Jellal could do something as atrocious as selfishly pursuing his own concerns and needs.

"Of course," Juvia replied, pushing her plate forward for her fiancé to fill it with rice. She then proceeded to serve herself some curry. "Thank you."

The lunch proceeded in silence, as was the tradition in the Fernandes house. It wasn't like there was some hard and fast rule based on manners that prevented the members from discussing stuff over their plates and bowls; it was just that there was usually never much that could be discussed animatedly during the eating hours. Theirs had never been a chatty family with the tendency to babble about every occasion they found themselves together in. Rather, theirs was a family that understood emotions and words through even the slightest dip of the shoulders.

It was when the lunch was almost done with when Juvia clutched her belly in pain.

Jellal, being the first to notice, immediately sprang to his feet and dashed to Juvia's side.

"Is there a problem?" he inquired, his brows furrowed in concern, one hand resting tensely on the lady' shoulders.

"Juvia's fine. Just the regular stuff," she mumbled in between winces. Meredy had rolled over to her sister-in law's side and even Uncle Rob had left his lunch half-way.

"Don't lie. I can see that you're in pain. You've a medicine for this, don't you? Come, I'll guide you to your room," Jellal pressed on, helping Juvia get up and brushing away some crumbs that had settled on her dress.

Within a minute, Jellal was back again in the room where he'd dropped Juvia off to freshen up fifteen minutes ago. Frantically, he searched through the bedside drawer where Juvia kept her medicines.

"It's this one, right?" he said, holding out a plastic container that contained some colourful pills. The lady in pain nodded.

Dashing back into the kitchen again to grab a glass of water, Jellal rushed back the same way and thrust the pills right into his fiancee's mouth.

"Easy," he said, holding her up as she swallowed the pill with the water. He rubbed her back gently as she tried to settle herself against the pillows that he'd propped up for better support.

"Juvia's fine Jellal-san. Really," the blue haired lady insisted, trying to smile through her agony. "This happens quite often. Doctor told you not to worry, didn't she?"

"Don't be silly," Jellal cut in, spreading the blanket over her body and switching on the air conditioner. "There's no way I can't worry. It's not a feeling that can be turned off with a controller."

Juvia opened her mouth to say something, but shut it almost immediately. She'd no idea how to respond to a confession which came seldom in their unique relationship. For an instance, the face in front of her merged into the one of a person she'd known back in the best days of her life, eliciting a sad smile in response. Black hair and black eyes flashed before her, making her choke with emotions she thought she'd buried successfully over the last few months. Unsurprisingly, they were not as subservient as she'd thought them to be. They would surface whenever they would see the tiniest of openings, and the one right now was anything but tiny.

It was a massive tear in her resolve that had so far been camouflaged under her poorly constructed pretenses.

Jellal saw it in her eyes, too – the very emotions that troubled him to a point of torture every minute of his life. It was like looking into a mirror and reading the truth of his existence. Being with Juvia was, indeed, a walk back into the past that he did not wish to visit. He wondered, with an uncertain heart, if he would ever be able to change this despairing situation into the one that it deserved to be – hopeful and forward-looking.

"Sleep," he said, his voice heavy with emotions, turning to look at the baby bump for a second and then turning back to look at the pillows right next to Juvia. "You'll feel better. If you need anything, call me immediately and I'll fix an appointment with the doctor."

Juvia nodded and slid into her blankets, turning the other way to hide the lone tear that had trickled down her cheeks without her permission. Jellal didn't miss it though; and as much as he wanted to just grab the woman gently by her shoulders and wipe her sadness away, he couldn't help but distance himself from the bed and walk out of the room in shame and agony, cursing, yet commending himself for all the decisions that he'd made so far.

This was the only way things could be done. This was the only path that could be taken. All other roads had been blocked willingly by him on account of having his options being taken ruthlessly from him five months ago. If there was one thing he could do now to save the jeopardised lives of those involved, it was going with the flow and letting destiny unfurl its dark wings around him.

One last look at the still figure of his bride-to-be, and Jellal was off towards this inescapable destiny.

He'd come around someday.

Rather, he'd _have _to come around someday, for compulsions were the only things that were here to stay.

Compulsions created by relationships forged in the heat of despair.

* * *

**A/N: Too many pregnant ladies in this story.**

**I think I should change my name to Aeria Escapeartistlancer. Bad jokes aside, I've been hit by something called the 'Final year realisation.' It's a realisation which comes when you're approximately eleven months away from graduation and you know you're in deep shit when you understand the world's out there in all its ruthlessness, waiting for you to enter it and then shred you apart with all the competition that's out there. Don't mind my graphic description, though. People manage. So will I. Pray for me, fellows.  
**

**Juviiiiaaaaa? What and who might you be thinking about? Why are you engaged to Jellal? What's Jelly thinking about and what's been troubling him since the beginning of this story? Answers will come eventually.**

**Thanks to all those who've been kind enough to leave a review! It makes writing this worth it in the end, and it's also a kind of stress-buster for me! So keep reviewing and giving me your love! It works wonders!**


	5. Compunction

**Yo! Some new characters up ahead. And a teensy-weensy glance into a past that won't be as comprehensive as you would like to believe. Because I'm evil and I won't let people in on the truth until the time comes. **

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. **

* * *

**-CHAPTER FIVE-**

**Compunction**

* * *

Simon Mikazuchi had been hailed a genius the moment he'd displayed the tendency to drive his company at age ten. Gasps and incredulous looks had been a prominent feature of his life hereafter, suffocating him to a point where he had earnestly wished, as a fifth grade student, that he'd been born into a family that was not called Mikazuchi.

Because the Mikazuchi were the insufferable tycoons of the corporate world, well-known for producing the most brilliant of business moguls known to mankind. Being a part of this esteemed family, high expectations had been placed on the young Simon as soon as he'd begun walking at eighteen months, and the process continued without a break and persists till today. From one generation to the next, Mikazuchi heirs and company CEOs are anything but simple-minded businessmen – they are more of the dynasts they are made to be with a massive reputation to live up to in the corporate world.

And it was this part of his existence, this reality, that both excited and saddened Simon.

Many a times, he wondered what it was like to be a normal person. A person who passes out of college with a degree in hand and makes a humble beginning for himself, not working his ass off behind a desk destined to be his, and enjoying a life that is always out there for those who have the privilege and sense to be a part of it.

A normal person, with normal standards in life.

And a not so tumultuous love affair that comes with the turbulent life circumstances of an exhausted, over-stressed corporate magnate.

It was not that Simon believed normal people had a simpler love life to begin with. They may have dramas in their lives that could perhaps be documented to create the best of soap operas, but a person like him, who was consistently under the media scanner, had to somehow end up having the most heart-wrenching of experiences in that one aspect of life called love.

And the fact that he was an inadvertent tabloid king helped him no more than the fact that his lady love was also under the constant scrutiny of the same forces, being a part of a big industrial house herself.

Sometimes, he wished how life would have been if Erza and he would have been a part of a normal family, from a normal middle class background.

Perhaps, things wouldn't have gone the way they had in real life.

Perhaps, Erza would not have slipped so far away from him that he would have had to go against his morals to make sure she remained next to him.

That haunting memory had always been a source of tremendous guilt for him, and Simon Mikazuchi had no doubt in his mind that it would continue to be so right until the day he would lie in his grave.

Sighing, the genius entrepreneur ran a finger through his hair and attempted to distract himself by checking mails on his phone. He read through a few of them, earnestly typing in replies in an attempt to stray away from his current line of thought, but failed miserably when he was halfway through the never ending list.

_Damn it, _he cursed under his breath, banging a fist into the table and upsetting the pen stand in the process. The coffee mug to his left also rattled dangerously close to the table's edge.

The face of the lady he loved to no limits flashed before his eyes, calming him somewhat, but also distressing him in the process. Every time that he would think about Erza, he would have the same reaction – an oxymoronic reaction that troubled him to no end. It made him feel like he was doing it all wrong, and was also inadvertently hurting the one he loved in the process. This heightened guilt of not living up to his fiancée's expectations ate at him from within, agonising him with memories of the chain of events that had occurred five months ago. And these memories were far from acquiring even a semblance of pleasantness.

These were memories that were like a dark blotch on his conscience and value-ridden life. A big slap on the face of ethics and morality that left a bitter taste in his mouth and an even bitter gash in his heart.

"Are you troubling yourself again, big brother?" a sweet, yet stern voice from the cabin door interrupted Simon's chain of thoughts. He jerked his head in the direction of the voice, knowing well who it came from. He managed a smile as he saw the familiar black hair and dark eyes of the woman entering his office in a crisp suit.

"Kagura. How was your trip?"

The young Mikazuchi Kagura, newly appointed Chief of Market Operations and Simon's much loved kid sister, walked in in a gait that could only come to a woman from a background afforded by her. She walked over to her brother's desk in what seemed to be urgency, and settled herself opposite him while refusing to look anywhere but into his eyes.

"It was fruitful," she said, a little miffed at her brother's attempt to change the topic. She remembered telling him all about her trip over the phone just a few hours ago. "Coming back to the point, is there something troubling you nii-san?"

Simon sighed and picked up a pen to fiddle with.

"Nothing in particular. Just the usual stuff. Meetings, work stress-"

"I'm pretty sure it's something that goes beyond work stress," Kagura cut in, looking intently at her brother. There was something penetrative about her gaze – an intensity that could rip through slabs of steel if the woman so much as willed it.

Simon rolled his eyes, trying his best to avoid the incoming scrutiny that contained supernatural properties. "There's nothing bigger than works stress in our lives, Kagura. That is, what some of our employees would term, the bane of our existence."

"It might be," Kagura countered, not the one to _not _have the last word, "but there are bigger things that concern you. I can read it in your eyes."

Simon was sure he looked like a deer caught in headlights. His sister had been an expert at gauging his feelings and laying them bare before his eyes since they'd been toddlers running around the Mikazuchi mansion. This was one quality that his kid sister had developed exponentially over the years, honing it to absolute perfection.

"Guilty as charged," he mumbled, sighing and slinking further into his chair. "It's her."

"Thought so," Kagura quipped immediately, smirking a little. She enjoyed it when her brother gave in to her perceptive self. "Did she say anything over the phone? You were supposed to meet her today, weren't you?"

"Yes, but the Hayakawa contract came up. I won't be able to meet her till next week."

Kagura nodded and folded her arms. Something seemed to have changed in her eyes as she observed her brother even more intently after hearing this piece of news.

"Do you regret it?" she asked then, stifling further as she noticed the reaction on her brother's face almost a second after she had made the inquiry. There was nothing but pain in his eyes as he tried not to display that hurt, failing miserably in the process. Simon Mikazuchi might be a brilliant businessman with a mind of gold when it came to economic transactions at scales global, but he'd never been the one for knitting together his feelings at one place and being a bit more determined about not letting them take the better of him.

"I-" he began, before falling short of words and letting a nerve pricking silence settle between himself and his sister. How could he possibly answer that question when he wasn't sure about the consequences of his own actions in the first place? Five months ago, when he'd taken the decisions that he'd, Simon Mikazuchi had never expected his life to become a guilt-ridden trip that only troubled him to no end – contrary to what his initial ideas had been. After having fully convinced himself that there was no way his decision was going to harm the woman he'd always, and would always love, it was a little unsettling to let reality rub it right in his face that he'd been nothing but an enormous fool in making an assumption as such. It was this short-sightedness that seemed to cost him his peace today, while also being a source of reassurance that Erza wasn't going anywhere.

He was sure if he ever looked into a mirror with that thought in mind, he would be _repulsed _to see the reflection of a sickening man who had compromised on his morals to act selfishly for the first time in his life.

Kagura sensed her brother's distress and immediately reached for him across the table. Two warm hands cupped Simon's bigger ones, making him give into the sense of security that seemed to radiate from his sister's move. If there was one person in this world who could make him feel a little better about his life, and a little more confident about the decisions that he'd taken so far, it was the sister he loved with all his heart.

"You took the right decision. It was the only one that you could have taken," she assured him, her voice warm and steady. There was nothing in her eyes that could suggest she thought otherwise.

Simon nodded. It was a better response than just sitting and absorbing his sister's assertions. It at least gave him a false sense of security that he could fall back on until deeper issues forced him to go beyond the falsity of this assurance. As long as the water beneath the surface was left untouched, he was fine with whatever life had to throw at him. It was a very problematic approach, he agreed, but this was the only way Simon could go about it after five months of indecision and uncertainty.

Kagura took a deep breath, fingers encircling her brother's as she pressed down gently on his hands.

"Think about it this way. You remember what Aunt Porlyusica told us about…about _that man, _don't you? He deserves this. _He_ is nothing but a money-minded and self-centred person who can't keep anyone happy. Thinking about _him, _don't you think you've taken the right decision?" Despite her outward appearance, there seemed to be a kind of desperation in Kagura's tone, as if she was pleading her brother to look at things the way she understood them. Not that she thought her brother was incapable of gauging the depth of the situation himself; it was more of an attempt on her part to make sure he didn't doubt his actions in the light of the morally precarious ground they skirted.

"I'm aware of what Aunt Porlyusica implied when she told me about _him. _It's just that…I don't know anymore. My conscience betrays me every time I try to think about this topic. I think I'll have to shut it all out till the time I'm done with the wedding." Simon sank even further into his chair, dejected and tired of the way life was playing some really twisted games with him. After so many ugly manoeuvers being thrown at him, he'd come to a point where he thought he was nothing more than a puppet being pulled by the strings called fate.

"Come to think of it. Being numb to this _issue _is probably the best way out because I don't have to think about what's right and what's not… I think I better go with this option."

"No you shouldn't," Kagura cut in, shaking her head and pressing her hands further into her brother's. "You've to convince yourself that what you're doing is right. If you don't, your guilt, which is completely uncalled for, will come at you at a later point and trouble you further. It's better to resolve this dilemma once and for all."

Simon opened his mouth to protest, to say something in return, but words failed him. Somehow, he knew the answer to his sister's question but was unable to come up with an appropriate way to express it. This inability to articulate well at crucial points when it came to the emotional aspects of life was what he thought would probably bring him down someday. And Simon cringed to think that this downfall would occur at a time when he would receive everything that he had ever asked for in life. The pain of almost reaching the much aspired for point and then turning back empty handed is said to be the worst pain of all imaginable, and Simon believed he wasn't wrong in assuming that this pain would be no stranger to him in the near future.

"No matter how much I would like to believe this is all right, that what I'm doing is anything but wrong, I always end up thinking that I'm no one to decide what's good for others. People have the right to make such decisions for themselves. I'm no one to act like a benevolent patron."

"Of course you aren't," Kagura encouraged, building up her argument from her brother's ideas. "You aren't a benevolent patron and no one's asking you to be one. You're simply acting in the name of humanity and helping someone get far away from a life that would give them nothing but trouble. And that is precisely why you shouldn't think too much into the matter."

Simon was ready with an answer. He was well versed with this volley of arguments because he would always have a rebuttal session with himself inside his head. These were the arguments that he'd often put forth to himself in an attempt to find solutions to his problems. Just a little business strategy that he'd employed in his personal life to absolutely no avail whatsoever.

"But that doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to know what's happening. She, above anyone else involved, has the right to know the truth."

"And what if the truth's better left untold because it could do more harm than good? What then, nii-san?" Kagura proffered, not in the mood to back down while discussing a topic that had almost withered with the amount of discussions gone into it so far.

For the second time in this little confrontation with his sister, Simon opened his mouth only to draw a blank. Kagura had always been good with words. There was no denying the edge she held over him every time the two siblings decided to duke it out over this sensitive issue that had begun to dictate their lives over the past five months.

"See what I mean, nii-san? You always falter at this point." Having hit her point home, Kagura relaxed her grip on Simon and eased back into her chair.

"That's solely because there is _no _right or wrong, Kagura," Simon offered, sighing deeply. They could go forever with this.

"And there is no way I can disagree with that, nii-san. It's all about prioritising and giving importance to one line of thought over the next. It's all relative, and that's precisely why you should stick to what _you_ think is right. What do _you _think is right nii-san?"

Simon considered the question for a minute. He'd been asked this so many times before that one would guess he would have figured out the answer by now. Unfortunately, he was nothing but a failure when it came to matters such as giving precedence to one emotional argument over the other. This was not the conference table where he weighed one tender against the next. This was real life where one faulty step could prove detrimental to the lives involved in the gamble.

"I'm doing this all for her happiness." Simon said finally, knowing well that this motive took precedence over all other motives. If there was one thing that he couldn't be clearer about, it was this assertion of his.

"That's it then," Kagura supplied, hitting the desk sharply with the palm of her right hand and easing back into her chair. "You don't need any other reason. You have it right there. You've always had it." There was hope in her eyes as she looked passionately into her brother's, hoping to channel some of her optimism into him. It broke her heart to see Simon in such a condition, and it wasn't in Mikazuchi Kagura's nature to let it slide when she could put in some amount of effort in cheering her brother up.

Simon took a deep breath and smoothed the creases on his single breasted jacket. It was funny how he'd developed a strange tendency to sweat despite being seated inside air conditioned rooms. It was a habit that he'd involuntarily picked on after that incident, five months ago.

"I guess this makes sense," he said in a whisper, eyes fixed on something indiscernible in the distance. A hazy cover seemed to have settled over his irises as his mind wandered somewhere far away from the realm of reality where he was seated with his younger sister, discussing matters that could determine the course of his life to come. While spacing out at crucial moments was something that he could ill-afford in his line of work, Mikazuchi Simon couldn't help but give in to the temptation and occasionally cut the very strings that bound him to earth.

On almost all the occasions, this was the only way to neutralise the pain that tagged along with the harsh memories of a broken heart.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Juvia Loxar lay awake on her bed for what seemed like hours, tossing and turning countless times, but failing to fall asleep. Something seemed to be pricking her at the back of her mind, and there was nothing she could do to dislodge that persistent presence.

There came a point when she got up and brushed her sheets aside in frustration, clutching her head as she tried to gather her thoughts in one place.

A trip to the kitchen seemed like an apt thing to do.

Swinging her feet off the bed as gently as she could, Juvia slipped into her slippers and waddled away to grab a bottle of juice.

She hadn't been expecting her fiancé sitting stiffly at the dining table.

"Jellal san?" Juvia inquired, moving closer towards his form to notice that he was absorbed into shading something in his sketchbook.

"Juvia?" Jellal turned around to look at her, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise. "Is something the matter?"

"Not at all, Jellal-san," Juvia assured. She walked towards the refrigerator and extracted a glass of juice to show to her fiancé.

"Just a little thirsty."

"You could have asked me to fetch it for you," Jellal said, shifting his chair a little to allow more accommodation at the table.

"That's okay. Doctor san said Juvia could do with some exercise," Juvia explained, taking the now vacant seat and having a sip with content. The juice made her feel a little better after the uncomfortable session in bed. Sleep was hard to come by for her these days.

"What else does dotor-san say about things you should do and things you shouldn't?" Jellal asked in a lighter tone, hoping to assuage the tense atmosphere that would almost always settle between the two.

Juvia pretended to tick points off on her fingers, trying her best for the sake of a little comfort in their relationship as well.

"Many things," she quipped, a sweet smile playing on her lips. "Exercise is the number one criteria, of course. She says evening walks would do Juvia wonders. Then there's eating healthy, basic stuff. Chilling with friends…"

Her voice trailed off to someplace far from his conscious as Jellal dived inadvertently into the realm of memories best left forgotten. Somehow, there was always this backward looking aspect to his relationship with Juvia that made him confront a past he never wished to come across again. Apart from her very presence in his life, there was something about the way her eyes brimmed to the surface with forlorn that made him take a step back and look in through the fog that he had deliberately let settle over his past. It was a process that he was all too familiar with.

.

.

.

_The chilly, off season winds swept past him, making him shiver right down to his bones. An officer clad in navy blue emerged from the entourage of police vans clustered on the walkway leading to their porch, a grim, business-like expression etched onto his face._

"_Mr Jellal Fernandes?" he asked, his tone straight and unwavering._

"_Yes," Jellal replied, waiting anxiously at the door, an equally ruffled Uncle Rob standing right next to him._

_A tense silence settled between the three men, before the officer cleared his throat and got down to business._

"_We regret to inform you that we couldn't retrieve your brother's body from the ruins at Onibus. A lot of bodies have went missing over the past seventy two hours, but we assure you that our force is trying its best to retrieve the missing."_

_Something seemed to have broken inside Jellal as he heard the piece of news he'd been dreading to hear ever since the news bulletin, seventy two hours ago. _

"_We understand officer," Uncle Rob said then, placing a hand on his godson's shoulder as he tried his best to share their pain. It'd been three days since they had heard over the news that Onibus town had been rocked by flash floods on a massive proportion. After a cloud burst that led to immediate inundation, hundreds lost their lives and even more went missing._

_Among the missing had been the name of the second and younger son of the family who'd gone to that mountainous city for an art exhibition. _

"_We'll get back to you as soon as we get any information. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr Fernandes," saying this, the officer retreated and walked briskly towards his colleagues, his shoulders drooping a little. While a part and parcel of their duty as police officers, these men couldn't help but feel sorry for the families to whom they would break such heart-wrenching news._

"_Let's go in, son," Uncle Rob said after a minute of silence at the door, pressing down gently on Jellal's shoulder. The latter seemed to be too engrossed into the tiles on the pavement ahead to listen to his request._

"_Son?"_

"_Juvia," Jellal muttered, refusing to move an inch from the door. "What about Juvia?" he turned to look at his uncle in time to notice the hurt in his eyes. He could see that he was at the verge of tears, but a realisation about the role he played in the family made him hold them back and never let them out. _

"_What's coming is inevitable. We have to go through this. _She _has to go through this."_

"_But why does she have to go through this? Juvia, of all people?"_

"_Because she's the one who was the closest to him," Uncle Rob explained, his hand never leaving his nephew's shoulder. "People lose their loved ones, but they don't stop living, son."_

_At this, the knot that had persisted within Jellal's stomach finally released, making hot tears appear at the corner of his eyes. Three days of numbness had so far accounted for the impassiveness on his face, but after the declaration just a few minutes ago, all hope had been lost for him._

_His brother was gone for good and there was no way he could escape from that reality._

_Shoulders slumping dramatically, Jellal leaned forward and placed a shaking head on his uncle's shoulder, letting the older man run his hand through his hair in a comforting fashion. While he could clearly tell that uncle was shaking himself, there was no way he could bring himself to wipe the tears that had finally managed to roll down his cheeks._

_This was an outpour that had been due for three days._

.

.

.

"Jellal-san?" Juvia's voice brought him back to the present, causing Jellal to stub his pencil nib harshly onto the sheet of paper in front of him. Thick black lead burned through the paper, making an ugly hole right where Jellal had been shading his most important part of the piece.

"Shit," he mumbled, picking up the paper and shaking it desperately in an attempt to get the crushed lid away from the surface. However, the damage had already been done.

"I'm so sorry," Juvia mumbled apologetically, looking sadly at the ruined shading in Jellal's hands. Her juice was left forgotten on the table in front as she looked worriedly into his eyes.

"Is everything okay, Jellal-san?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

Jellal shook his head and placed the sheet back on the table with a forced smile on his face.

"Yes," he mumbled, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Was just thinking about an assignment I've to work on for a client the coming week…" his voice trailed off as he hoped Juvia had bought his pathetic excuse.

"Alright," Juvia said sans the required conviction in her eyes. She had known Jellal long enough to understand when he was actually okay, or simply lying through his teeth.

"I was thinking," she said instead, a tactful move to divert the topic during situations like these. "If you could take a day off tomorrow and accompany Meredy and I to the Flower Fair at Magnolia Central Park? It's supposed to be a grand event this time."

Jellal nodded almost immediately. He'd never had it in him to deny Juvia any of her requests. Besides, she hardly ever expressed her desires or asked for anything in their relationship. He though it his duty to let her have even the small moments of happiness that she truly deserved after the incident five months ago.

A genuine smile made it to her lips upon hearing his assent. It was one of those rare smiles that reached her eyes, making Jellal thankful to heavens for letting him behold such a sight at irregular intervals.

"Great! I'll go tell Meredy. She's been excited about this since forever," she got up within seconds, walking towards the refrigerator to put in the remainder of her juice and then scuttling off to inform her sister-in-law of the fun trip tomorrow.

Jellal sighed and buried his face into his hands.

Someday, he reckoned he would simply burst with the amount of guilt and burdens that he carried in his heart, but he was more than certain of the fact that this was not the right time to let it all out.

_Someday, _he said to himself, but at this point in time, there was only one thing at the top of his list of priorities.

Being by Juvia's side and making sure the brunt of reality never hit her as hard as it often did to him.

"_I'll take good care of her," _he whispered into his interlocked fingers, eyes turning to look out the kitchen window into the gradually darkening sky.

He envisaged his brother giving him a nod of approval from the heavens.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

_She was being guided, blindfolded, into a place not known to her before. A gentle hand on her shoulders assured her as she walked over an uneven ground, her hands holding onto his as a representation of the faith she'd always had in him. _

"_Just a few more steps," his deep, reassuring voice sounded next to her ears and Erza nodded in enthusiasm._

_She loved this part of their relationship. He always had something new and refreshing up his sleeve whenever she feared their relationship was taking a turn for the monotonous. But then again, it wasn't like she'd any complaints either way. _

"_Almost there," he quipped, turning her left down a smoother path, the smell of fresh flowers invading her senses as her belly flipped over in excitement._

"_There."_

_A hand coiled around her blindfold and the next second, Erza opened her eyes to a sight as beautiful as if it had been painted right out of the most pleasant of her dreams. _

_Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened dramatically._

_In front of her lay acres and acres of colourful tulips dancing wildly in the October breeze, the ever so gentle smell wafting towards her with the wind that played cheerily with the hem of her dress._

"_This is…beautiful," she found herself saying, as the sea of tulips ahead, lured her in with its sheer exquisiteness. Red blue and yellow lay as far as her eyes could see, making her heart flutter with joy upon being this close to nature's bounty._

"_Amazing, isn't it? I reckoned you'd like it."_

_Turning around, Erza tried looking into the eyes of her lover, wishing to thank him for letting her have such a wonderful experience, but something cloudy and hazy seemed to have settled before her eyes, making it impossible for her to distinguish his face or even make out his voice._

_Funny. She'd been able to listen to him so clearly when her back had been turned to him._

"_Thank you for this," she whispered nonetheless, trying to close the distant between herself and her lover in hopes of being able to see him better. He inched forward, his hands encircling her waist as she vaguely made out his head tilting in for a kiss._

"_Marry me," he whispered when he was merely an inch away from her lips, one of his hands suddenly leaving her waist and producing a velvet box from the depths of his pockets._

_For a second, Erza was left without words on her lips. She blinked – once, twice, three times – but comprehension eluded her for almost a minute._

_He'd asked her to marry him._

_To marry him._

_Reality hit her with a dizzying but pleasant force, knocking the wind right out of her lungs as her eyes widened upon noticing the gleaming ring inside the little box._

"_Marry me, Erza," he repeated, his breath falling on her lips in an irregular pattern, making the hairs at the back of her hand stand. _

"_I-" she mumbled, too stunned to produce more than a monosyllable. Her hands were shaking and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes._

"_I…yes."_

_It seemed as if the heavens had been waiting for her to answer the question. The instant she uttered her approval, hands reaching forward to allow him to slide the ring on her finger, a loud rumble shook the earth, causing the ground beneath her to quake violently._

"_What?" Erza gasped, hands reaching out to grab hold of her lover's shoulders, but failing to so much as graze the cloth of his collar. Somewhere down underneath, the ground was shivering dramatically, making it impossible for her to get a strong footing on the uneven path that began to give in underneath her unsteady feet. _

_Terror like she'd never felt before gripped her heart. With the quake came a thunderous downpour, causing the tulips to wilt with the tidal force of the pattering rain. The soil around the planting eroded, flowing down in a thick stream of muddy brown towards her and pooling over the ground beneath her feet that seemed to be slowly sinking into the ground. _

_She thrashed out, arms flailing wildly about her, trying to grab onto the man standing in front, but he didn't seem to able to see her problem for some matter. He stood there like a statue, arms frozen and stuck to his sides, feet planted firmly and unmoving._

_But there was no stopping the sudden implosion that rumbled somewhere underground, causing the soil around to act like quicksand and gradually suck her in._

"_Shit," Erza cursed, channelling all of her energy to her feet, propelling her muscles to move as many inches as they could, but something seemed to be stopping her from exercising the necessary control required to move her limbs. _

_It was as if all energy had been sucked out of her body._

_A point came when the process of absorption increased dramatically, making it impossible for her to do anything but submit helplessly to nature's fury, her heart pounding furiously against her chest._

"_No!" she cried out, but to no avail. By the time she could muster enough strength to utter a proper sentence or even a fragment for help, the ground had cracked open beneath her feet and swallowed her whole, making her plunge deep into the kind of darkness that unfurled endlessly before her eyes. _

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.

.

Erza gasped her way to consciousness, her eyes flying open as she gripped the bed sheets around with more force than was necessary.

Heart beating wildly against her chest, she craved for breath, sweat pooling around at the base of her neck. A slight twinge in her belly made her grab it worriedly, rubbing the base in desperation as she tried to collect her breath.

_Just a dream, _she thought, trying to assure herself that the terrible events had only been occurring inside her head. A quick look at the marble floor made her sigh in relief, but the slight apprehension that she felt at the back of her mind persisted.

Flinging the sheets aside, Erza swung her feet off the bed, grabbing her face with her hands and placing her elbows on top of her thighs. The clock ticked away on her right and the gentle whistle of the wind came in from the windows to her left.

A sea of tulips. A diamond ring in a velvet box. A man she loved with all her heart.

Somehow, her heart told her that what she'd seen in her mind's eye hadn't just been a product of her unconscious.

_I seriously need some time out for myself, _Erza mused, her hands still shivering after the terrifying ordeal. Now that she was in a city that was known for eliminating stress and bringing a smile to people's faces, there was no way Erza could ill afford to pass up on the opportunity that had finally come her way.

_Get a grip on yourself, Erza Scarlet, _she told herself, closing her eyes and concentrating for a minute, feeling her breathing fall back to the normal rate. Sweat still soaked her night shirt around the collar, but she didn't seem as ruffled as she'd been just two minutes ago on account of having seen that horrifying dream.

However, as she got up and trundled towards the open windows that allowed in the gentle breeze, Erza couldn't help but feel that all her assurances so far had been for naught. With every step that she took towards the window, she could somehow feel the ground beneath her sink, making her consider taking the short journey back to her bed. Dread was far from being removed from her heart, but she somehow managed to make it to her destination, clammy hands gripping the sill as if her life depended on it.

It was funny how life wouldn't ever stop making her feel like there was absolutely no distinction, whatsoever, between dreams and reality.

* * *

**(A/N): Gosh I'm having so much fun writing this story. And that's all because of all the lovely reviewers who have taken the time to type something appreciative so far. You know how it works, so I'm not gonna repeat it again *zips up mouth***

**Also, if you guys want me to write a nice little oneshot or drabble for you on any of the following pairings – Jerza, Gruvia, Nalu, Gale, Mystwalker, Miraxus – then you can simply give me a one-word prompt (ONE-WORD) on my tumblr. It's the kind of thing that helps me resolve my writer's block and gives me lots and lots of practice with this thing called creative writing. So yeah. Go ahead!**

**Till then folks! **


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